Sweet Tooth
by LittleDemonInside
Summary: AU. OOC: ADHD!Shizuru. Shiznat. A candy store owner enters a dentist's office because her tooth is hurting. Little do they both know that a sore tooth is the least of their worries.
1. Sore Tooth

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Mai Hime.

**Edit**: Okay, someone pointed something out that I made a big mistake in this chapter so I went back to correct it!

For newcomers, Shizuru is OCed slightly in this, so if you like Shizuru the way she normally is, don't read. XP

* * *

Okay, so maybe I have a small addiction. It's not like it's serious. I have one or two after every meal and during brakes; one when I feel the urge and one out of habit. Maybe it's the rush I feel when it's in my mouth or going down my throat. Maybe it's the calm, serene sensation I get when it lingers and starts to evaporate. Maybe it's nostalgic feeling I have when I think about it.

'Course, people might call me strange for feeling this way about candy, but it's the truth.

* * *

Shizuru Fujino woke up that morning to an alarm clock effectively doing its job. She groaned in annoyance, knowing that if she hit the snooze button, she wouldn't be able to get out of bed, so might as well do it now and get it over with.

She hastily sat up and kicking her legs over the side of the bed. She hunched over and gripped her head with both hands, trying to bypass the thumping pain in her head that you get when you lean up too fast. Thankfully, that went away almost as soon as it came.

She looked over at the messy white sheets on her western-style bed and sighed, running her right hand through her light brown, knotty hair. She lazily got up and went to the bathroom to take a morning shower after grabbing a change of clothes. She slipped her white t-shirt, sleep-pants and undergarments off as she turned on the water, waiting for it to get a lukewarm temperature. When satisfied, she climbed in and let the water droplet slowly wake her up.

After she put on a change of clothes for the day, she continued with the morning necessities: brushing her teeth and hair, washing her face, make-up, etc. She then exited and went into the small kitchen of her downtown apartment and made a small lunch consisting of eggs, toast, and orange juice.

She noticed the time.

Her rust-red eyes widened as she held the fork in her mouth, staring at the clock in horror. She quickly gulped down her food, "I'm an hour late?! Did I fall asleep in the shower without knowing it?!" Talk about airhead.

She quickly stood, picking up her plate and fork and almost throwing them into the sink. She dashed around the house, trying to find her keys, her purse and thinking about what her plans for today were all at the same time.

She ran down the stairs, throwing her stores' dark green apron on and tying it in the back. She sprinted, unlocked her car's door, and jumped in, closing it behind her. She then placed her purse in the passenger's seat and placed the key in the ignition, listening to the engine come to life. She sighed heavily as she started to back out onto the street. The drive usually didn't take that long, and her guilty pleasure usually made the time fly by even faster.

Speaking of which:

Shizuru chuckled to herself as she steadily drove in the morning rush of traffic. Her hand reached mechanically over to the passenger's seat as she kept her eyes glued on the road ahead. As she pulled her hand out, which was now contained a wrapper. The orange-red wrapper was covering something small and oval shaped. Expertly, with one hand, she removed the wrapper and revealed a small piece of the same colored candy inside. She smiled brightly as she placed the piece of candy into her mouth and indulged in its orangey-tangy flavor.

Then something unexpected happened.

She felt a pulsating pain in her lower-left jaw.

"Ara?"

She frowned at its persistence and her free hand, now wrapper free, and moved it up to the part of her jaw where the pain was originating from and rubbed it slightly, trying to make it go away. When it wouldn't go away, she reluctantly swallowed the candy and opened her mouth. She placed her hand into her mouth and tried to find the cause. When she found it, she flinched, "Itai!" She yiped, removing her hand at once.

Her tooth was sore.

"That can't be good…" She muttered to herself as she continued down the road.


	2. Check Ups

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Mai Hime.

Holy cheese and crackers, Batman! Two chapters in one day!

Anyway, hopefully, writing this will get me to take better care of my own teeth. And trust me, I know proceedures when it comes to going to the dentist. -Has had braces on before.- Oh, and for the name of the dentists' office, that's the same name as the dentist office down the street so it's not completely random. (I know it's corny, bare with it.)

**Wolf from the Hidden Flames**: (Wow! oo Such a long review! Thanks!) -Muahaha!- Yes, come out from the shadows! -ahem- A-anyway... Shes, even Shizuru needs a break from being so up-tight in all these fanfics, she needs a brake, so I gave her one so she can relax. -nods as she reads the rest of the review- Yes, you started to rant there a bit, but I _totally_ see what you mean. I too like to read about a cunning Shizuru that plots all her moves. ('Silence of the Himes' is a great story/series fanfic for that kind of stuff if you're able to handle the gore. -thumbs up/Props to **DemonicTwister**-) And I hope you laugh your heart out, I tried to make their first interaction an interesting one. Enjoy!

**Immoral Temptation**: Nope! Nothing's wrong here. This is the way I planed it, and it's going to stay with way. Like I said before, I OCed Shizuru slightly and I wanted to do a fanfic where Shizuru and Natsuki would be doing jobs readers would never think of them doing. It's more fun this way! Try to enjoy it all, neh?

**okami**: (anon.) ; I'm glad you like it some much, but could you try not to post the same thing three times on a review board? Thank you. Enjoy!

* * *

The ringing phone was picked up, "Thank you for phoning into Yuuki and Kuga's dating service! We'll help you through those blind dates and hard-to-deal-with boyfriends--"

"NAO!!" A roar came down the thin hallway from a few doors down.

"Hold your leash, mutt. I was just kidding," Nao said, cupping her hand on the bottom half of the receiver attachment and glaring down the hall. She sighed, "Honestly, loosen up a bit, will ya?" She mumbled, mostly to herself, before placing her head back to the receiver and continuing, "Thank you for calling Gentle Dental, This is Yuuki Nao speaking, how may I help you?" She asked, her tone of voice sounding bored and hinting some irritation.

Well, who wouldn't be irritated to be doing secretary work at nine in the morning?

That's right, Nao, Natsuki's… 'tough-love' friend was working for her in a secretary job while Kuga herself was doing all the dirty work. And when she says dirty, she means it. You should see some of the smiles that come in. Nao shivered in disgust. She was somewhat happy all she had to deal with was the customers' words, not the mouths themselves.

She sat in a small, cramped space. In front of her was a glass service window. On her desk was sat her computer and papers and files galore. Really, it was a wonder how she found anything in that mound, but she did. In one corner of the desk was her lunch. She had her name plate in clear view of anyone who wanted to take a gander at trying to say her name and spread out across her desk was more paperwork.

Paperwork. Paperwork. Paperwork. Files. Paperwork.

Behind her was a whole large cabinet of files, the tabs on the files listing people's names and phone numbers while the files themselves varied in size of fullness. Also, she fit a couple more things in the room, curtains on the small window, a potted plastic plant (because Heaven knows she wouldn't think about watering it if it was real), and a CD stand. Anything more would be pushing it. Of course Natsuki thought even putting the desk in was pushing it, but hey, it's not her workspace so she doesn't get a say.

"Ms Fujino Shizuru?" Nao lazily took out a pen from her pen-and-pencil holder and clicked the top. She took out a pad of notepaper and got ready to write, "Could you spell that?" She asked, her tone indifferent.

She nodded her head as she jotted down the letter as they were spelt out. "Want me to schedule you in for an appointment?" She waited a bit for the other to answer, all the while subconsciously spinning the pen back and forth between her recently manicured fingers.

"Any day is okay?" Nao restated 'Ms. Fujino's' words. She began typing on her computer, trying to find the schedule for the days to come. She continued to type expertly, her pen in between her right hand's index and middle finger, the two fingers squeezed together slightly to keep the small object there. "How's three days, Sunday, sound?" Nao asked, looking to the phone's receiver out of the corner of her eye.

She raised an eyebrow at the answer she got, "Today? I'll check." After a moment, Nao brought up schedule, "How's three in the afternoon sound? I have someone open then." Yuuki asked, almost mechanically.

The redhead nodded her head at the response, "Today at three for a check-up for Ms Fujino Shizuru. You'll be seen by a Ms Kuga Natsuki." She said as she typed it in, "Thank you. See you later." With that, Nao removed the phone from against her ear and shoulder, and placed the coreless phone back into its holder. She sighed as she clicked the 'Enter' button on her keyboard and entered all the information.

She then swirled around and rolled over, in her rolling chair, over to the large cabinet, opening the cabinet door on the top labeled: "A to H". She then fingered through the letters until she got to the Fs. "F, u. F, u. F, u. F, u…" She continued, as if reciting a mantra, as she fingered through the files. She only paused when she heard herself saying it, "F u… Heh. F you." She chuckled slightly to herself. God, she must've been really bored if she noticed something like that.

"Ah," She picked the filed labeled 'Fujino Shizuru' up. She frowned at the sign of a light layer of dust and the whole seemingly lack of paper inside the manila folder. Not a good sign. She fingered through the file's small amount of records and found that date on the 'most recent' paper.

"Holy--!" She cut herself off, seeing how long ago the date was. Great, it was one of _those_ people who never come in. And when they do, they usually have a mountain of rotten teeth. Natsuki will _not_ be happy about this.

Nao then glanced at the personal information sheet filled out. Her eyes widened at the occupation: "Candy store owner?!" She almost yelled, feeling like laughing at Natsuki's misfortune. The poor dentist will be in for one hell of an afternoon later today.

Talk about throwing salt onto the wound.

"I feel sorry for Kuga," Nao snickered.

"Why the hell would you feel sorry for me?" Speak of the devil.

"You got a check-up scheduled for later today. One of _those_ people." Nao was grinning from eat to ear as she held up the folder for the dentist to see. 'Those people' probably meant someone who seemingly never came in.

Natsuki frowned, snatching the folder away and opening it up to see for herself, 'Shit." She muttered when she confirmed Nao's words.

She was standing by the doorway, her white lab coat over her normal clothes, buttoned up all the way so you could only see the jacket. She had a nametag clipped over her right chest stating her name, and also had some pens in the breast pocket. Her green doctor's mask was currently hanging around her neck and her hairnet was stuffed into her coat's side pocket. Obviously, she'd just finished up with another patient.

"Can't Mai take her?" Natsuki asked, looking up from the folder. Green met green.

"No-can-do." Nao shrugged, "Ms Fujino asked if she could do it today to get it over with. Can't say I blame her, really. I don't like dentists."

Natsuki frowned, staring at the secretary with dull eyes, "And yet you work here?"

Nao shrugged again, "It pays."

"And why can't Mai-"

Natsuki was cut off, "Because she has Thursdays and Friday's off, remember?" Nao eyed the blunette.

Natsuki growled in defeat, "Fine." She grumbled.

"Oh!" Nao said, a Cheshire Cat smile on her face, "Look at Ms Fujino's occupation. You're going to _love_ this."

The dentist frowned, knowing Nao's sarcasm meant she'd probably damn not calling in sick today. She shuffled through the papers until:

"WHAT?!" Natsuki screamed loud enough to make some waiting patients jump in their seats. "You're GOT to be kidding me!"

"Nope. It's all authentic. The irony's enough to make you laugh." And Nao did just that as see she saw the poor dentist gawking at the paper in front of her.

"Shut up." Natsuki frowned after she was done gawking and composed herself.

"Heh, fine. I'll spare you out of pity." Nao smirked.

"Says the person who works in a six-by-six cubical."

"It is not a six-by-six cubical!" She retorted, finding the urge to defend her small, yet snug office space.

"Yeah, yeah," Natsuki then waved it off, closing the papers in the file and placing it in the holder on the door for 'patients to get to later'. She then walked off with the next patient's folder in hand.

* * *

Three o'clock came sooner then Natsuki thought it would. She sat down in her stereotypical green colored dentists' chair, staring at the clock which shown it was only a couple minutes before three.

She heard Nao, not five minutes ago, say that a Fujino Shizuru arrived and checked in. She calmed herself, getting ready for what she might find. She waited until the clock turned exactly three to slowly get up from the chair and advance towards the front office/secretary desk area/patient's lounge at a leisurely pace. Probably trying to stall the inevitable.

She sighed heavily before going through the door, picking up the dreaded file, "Fujino-san?" She called out. She watched as a brown-hair woman stood up and smiled calmly at her as she made her advance. Natsuki nodded in acknowledgement, "Follow me, please." The woman nodded and they both went back to the dentists' chair.

"Have fun," Nao chimed, as Natsuki passed her window, before snickering, gaining a grumble in return.

"Sit down, please." Natsuki said as she looked away and started to grab the items she'll need to check the mouth. She placed them on the tray next to her rolling seat; strapped on the hairnet, after pulling her blue hair up in a bun; put on clear visors and her doctor's mask and finally, after washing her hands, she placed the latex gloves on.

When Natsuki turned around, she saw Ms Fujino already in the chair, patiently waiting with a calm, small smile on her face. She was looking forward, outside the window.

Natsuki then breathed in deeply and let it all out silently. She rolled over and placed her foot on the pedestal, bringing the back of the seat down. She then switched her foot over to another switch and started to pump Ms Fujino down to a level she could lean over and work with. She then rolled back over to her tray and brought the wheeled tray back with her towards the patient. She took out the packet of tools and started to rip open the packet, laying the tools on the tray before throwing away the packet.

She, Natsuki, looked over her shoulder to the patient as she grabbed the mirror, "You're calm." The dentist noted, her voice muffled slightly from the doctor's mask.

Ms Fujino blinked, possibly from being knocked out her reverie. She looked up and smiled at Natsuki, "Hai. I'm not usually one to be scared at doctors or dentists appointments."

"That'll make things easier," Natsuki said, rolling back over. _What a thick accent..._

Natsuki brought the light over toward Ms Fujino's face and pressed a button with her foot. A click could be heard before the light was shown. Natsuki frowned as she bent near the candy store owner's face, "Could you give me a broad grin?" She brought the mouth-mirror close to Fujino's jaw.

Shizuru complied and instantly, Natsuki pulled away, "GOD, I'M BLIND!" She yelled (causing Shizuru to jump) as she rolled away toward the window and leaned her head down into her hands, rubbing her eyes.

After a couple minutes Natsuki was finally able to sit up and let out an exasperated sigh, "Ms Fujino, your teeth are white enough to reflect light. I hardly see the reason why you'd come here." Her tone ever-so-slightly laced with annoyance.

"Kannin na, Kuga-han. Maybe I should have explained my reason for coming here, no?" Shizuru gave a slight apologetic look, her head leaning up from the headrest of the seat.

Natsuki finally turned toward the patient once more, "Yeah, maybe." She sighed and rolled back over, "Give me a minute, my vision still has a purple-yellow line in the middle wherever I look." She blinked a couple times, glaring strait forward to a poster on the wall, as if that would make the annoying line go away.

Shizuru stared, amused, as Natsuki reached up and turned the knob on the light down, dimming it slightly. Natsuki then raised an eyebrow, looking through her visor down at calm red eyes, "Yes?" She pushed.

"Ah!" Shizuru smiled, remembering, "Yes, there's this throbbing pain in my lower left jaw." Shizuru moved her right hand and pointed to the spot, poking her cheek slightly.

Natsuki nodded, getting her mirror once more, "Open." Kuga instructed Shizuru.

Shizuru moved her hand back down to her lap and opened her mouth.

Natsuki then moved her mirror around. She found the source, "You have a cavity, Ms Fujino," A gruff voice from behind the doctor's mask informed.

Shizuru frowned slightly, "Hm," Was all she replied. She suspected as much.

Natsuki then continued to look around Shizuru's mouth, seeing if anything else was wrong, "Besides that, you look clean from infection." Natsuki informed. She moved her eyes from the mouth and looked at the red eyes staring back into her own green from about three inches away. _Red eyes… Don't see that often…_

"_Candy…makes you happy?" A girl's voice questioned. A smiled appearing on her face and a feeling of relief flushed over her._

Natsuki blinked, wide-eyed, "Huh?" She asked, all the sudden alarmed. Her breathing started to slow. _The heck was that?…_

"I said, 'penny for your thoughts?'" Shizuru apparently repeated, "You've been staring with a glossy look over your eyes for the past half minute now."

"Oh." Natsuki trailed off, leaning back in her seat, "Sorry." She said, her hand moving to her head, rubbing her temples.

"Seems Kuga-han is stressed from her job." Shizuru smiled, then a coy look crossed her features, "Does Kuga-han want a lollipop for her hard work?" Shizuru asked, pulling out a lollipop from her pants pocket and waving it tauntingly for Natsuki to see.

Natsuki frowned, a light, embarrassed blushing forming on her cheeks, "Do you carry around candy wherever you go?--"

"Yes." Came a calm, immediate reply as soon as the dentist finished her sentence.

Awkward silence on Natsuki's side.

She broke it after a bit, "W-whatever!" She exclaimed, "Do you want me to do this or not?" She frowned at the brunette.

Shizuru just smiled as she leaned her head back down, stuffing the lollipop back into her pant's pocket.

Natsuki frowned, leaning back over and looking closely at the reflection of the cavity, "It's a level three cavity. You'll need a filling. Do you have coverage?" She asked.

"Yech." A gurgled reply came from the candy store owner. Not being able to close her mouth or swallow effected her speech. Translation: 'Yes.'

"Do you want a normal filling or a clear one? The clear ones cost more."

"Gear." Translation: 'Clear.'

Natsuki nodded her head and pulled away, taking notes on the file's record for today. "Okay, you're good to go." She said, still facing the papers, her back turned to the patient. She placed the pen down and pulled off the gloves, throwing them and all the work tools into the trash. She then pulled off the doctor's mask, letting it fall free against her collarbone. She took off the visor and clipped it against the collar of her white coat.

She rolled over and turned off the light, pushing buttons to get the seat back to normal. The dentist then rolled back to the file and continued to jot down notes.

Shizuru got up and brushed herself off, stretching to wear-off the uncomfortable feeling in her back. She then smiled, sighing happily. "…" She looked over to Natsuki's back and smirked, "Kuga-han?"

"Hm?" Natsuki turned, only to have a red lollipop shoved into her mouth.

"Ookini. For all your hard work." Came a thick Kyoto accent.

Natsuki's eyes were wide as she blinked, going cross-eyed in order to see the white stick of the lollipop sticking out of her mouth. It was by this time that she realized that the lollipop was shoved into her mouth in the first-place and looked up to see the previously occupied space to be empty. She looked over to the door, only to see her former-patient closing the wooden door, giggling the whole time.

"GET BACK HERE!" Shizuru listened to the bellow come from the other side of the door, all the while trying to suppress her laughter.

--------------------

After some negotiations with Yuuki, the secretary, Shizuru made plans to come in and get her filling done tomorrow, Friday, around the same time.

* * *

**Omake**:

**Shizuru**: -sobbing in a corner- No one wants me to be a candy store owner!

**Demon**: (the author) That's okay. No one thinks Natsuki is skilled enough to be a dentist! -beaming-

**Natsuki**: Oi! I am too skilled! I'd like to see them try and go through all those years of medical school, eh!

**Demon**: Besides, it would be too dull and expected if the characters took their respective carrier choices. I'm spreading the humor around this way.

**Natsuki**: Well, you nearly blinded me in the process.

**Demon**: -shrugs- Sacrifices have to be made.

**Natsuki**: -cracking her knuckles- I'll show you sacrifices...

**Demon**: H-Hey, Shizuru, look on the bright side. At least you'll get that cavity taken care of, right? -shuffling away from Natsuki as unnoticeably as she can-

**Shizuru**: -immediately stops crying, going into her thinking pose- I guess that's true...

**Demon**: Heh, and think what it would be like if Shizuru _was_ the dentist...

**-image-**

**Shizuru**: -in a dirty, torn scrub with a pair of pliers in her hand, and a pair of goggles holding her messy hair down- Let's get that tooth out, _shall we_?... -grabs the nearest lever and lightning shoots down, zapping the person- Muahahaha!! IT. IS. **ALIVE**!! **MUAHAHAHA**!!

**-image ends- **

**Demon and Natsuki**: -huddling against each other, shivering in fear-

**Shizuru**: I would not be an evil dentist bent on making things come to life for my own benefit!... -sitting in her corner, pouting childishly, arms folded across her legs- Ikezu...


	3. Appointment

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Mai Hime.

Okay, you might or might not notice that this chapter was a bit rushed, yes. I did that because I really want to do the next chapter. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but I'm anxious to do the next chapter. That being said, I also had a lot of fun on this chapter and showing Shizuru's playful side. Yes, Shizuru does giggle a lot. o-o;

**gale**: (anon.) o-o; I'm sorry, I don't understand what that meant.

**eclairz**: I love humor as well! 3 Here's to hoping you'll get another stomachache and have to go to a doctor and meet one like Natsuki! ;)

**MysticOmega**: Here, here! She can be playful too! Lol. Don't we all wish she was our dentist? ;) Yes, Nao can trick with the best of them. Besides, wouldn't you get bored doing desk work all day? Yes, I have an obsession with pants too. I'm not much of a skirt/dress fan and try to fit pants or shorts on characters whenever I can. And I dunno, _should_ Natsuki scold for that? Maybe she likes it. ;D Yes, the dreaded 'open' word. I hated their bluntness when they did their work on me. They didn't even say please! o And yes, Shizuru is a sneaky fox. XD But get ready for more sneakiness in this chapter and for chapters to come!

**Anonymous**: (anon.) Thank you for reading the first two chapters. Lol. Got ya! ;D

* * *

Three o'clock came a bit faster the next day too.

The day seemed to fly by. Maybe it was because it was the day before Natsuki's work-weekend, or maybe it was because of the lack-of anything hard to do all day. Because of this, Natsuki was, for once, actually in a nice mood.

Natsuki smiled as she looked out the window, content for the moment with the world outside and her life.

"Natsuki, your three o'clock, Miss Fujino, is here!" Nao called from the secretary's office.

Natsuki frowned. That didn't last very long.

The dentist sighed, getting up from her semi-comfortable dentist chair and strolled toward fate. She opened the door, picked up the file and went down the hall, opening the door to the patient's lounge.

Sure enough, a Miss Fujino was sitting there, reading a book that she had laid over her crossed lap. Her attire this time seemed to be a bit more on the business-casual side then plain casual, Natsuki noticed. Why she noticed this, she had no clue; maybe she was just that bored.

"Miss Fujino," Natsuki said, her voice firm as she stared at the figure who seemed to reluctantly looked up from her novel. Fujino beamed a small, bright smile at her and Natsuki simply made a head-motion for her to follow. Shizuru nodded her head before placing a nearby bookmark into in the book and placed the book in her purse. She stood up and grabbed her jacket, for the weather was already cold and it was only late August. They were going to be in for a very long winter.

Fujino walked towards the dentist who started to lead her back to the dentists' chair. She could feel the awkward silence between them and found it funny enough to giggle to herself lightly.

Natsuki perked up from this and turned around, a curious scowl on her features, "What?"

"Well, I was just wondering what was on Kuga-han's mind to make her so quiet," Shizuru smiled innocently as they reached the chair.

Natsuki frowned, turning to the patient, "You know what! What was with that… stunt you pulled yesterday?"

"Ara," Shizuru smiled calmly, "Kuga-han brought it up faster than I thought she would." She then looked strait into emerald eyes, "Well, I didn't know what flavor Kuga-han liked, so I just chose cherry."

"I'm not talking about the flavor!" The said 'Kuga-han' replied in an exasperated tone. She then let out a deep, heavy sigh, "Whatever. I don't care anymore." Kuga rubbed her temples.

"Good," Shizuru smiled, "Because I brought three more flavors today!" She chimed as she placed her purse and jacket onto the counter.

Natsuki dully stared at Shizuru, "Just get in the chair." _And I was having such a good day too…_

"Hai, hai." Shizuru replied in a chipper manner before walking over to the chair and sitting down.

Natsuki then started to prepare, same procedure as before except more tools and connections, which meant more packets and devices on the metal tray.

She rolled over to the Kyoto born with the tray rolled next to her for easy reach; she pushed a button to lower the back of the chair; she then pumped the chair down to a workable height. It was all mechanical, out of habit.

She was about to turn on the light before stopping herself. She thought for a moment, "Not doing that again." Natsuki looked up to turn the knob down to a degree Natsuki thought she could work with Shizuru's… special case.

She ignored the giggling coming from the chair under her.

Natsuki reached over and grabbed a clear plastic tool that looked somewhat like a funnel stretched to its limits, "Open."

"No."

Natsuki blinked, her train of thought interrupted, "What?" She looked down to red orbs with a mischievous glint in them.

"No." Shizuru restated, smirking playfully as she looked at the dumbstruck dentist.

"Open," Natsuki frowned, looking down at the candy store owner, now demanding.

The smirk only grew.

Natsuki could feel her left eye twitch. _Fine, it's a battle of wits you want…_ She smiled an abnormally cheerful smile that should never appear on the face of a person that has Natsuki's disposition, "Could answer a quick question for me?"

"Anything." Shizuru smiled calmly.

"What letter comes before 'P'?"

"The correct answer."

Natsuki blinked. _Huh?_

Shizuru giggled at the bewildered expression of dentist and guessed correctly at her thoughts, "I said 'the correct answer'."

Natsuki blinked, regaining her composure, her ever-present slight scowl reforming back on her face, "But that's not a letter." Natsuki pointed out, haughtily. She smirked at her resolve.

"Yes, but it's 'the correct answer' so it cannot be wrong. The correct answer is the right answer to the question because it is 'the correct answer'."

Natsuki inwardly flinched.

"Or should I have said, 'the letter that comes after 'N'' or you'd prefer 'the letter that looked like the neutral number'." Shizuru smiled knowingly.

Natsuki's mouth hung open. _She even avoided saying 'zero'!_

Ha, challenging Shizuru Fujino to a game of wits? Surely you know you're going to loose.

Shizuru giggled once again at the sight, having the time of her life, "My, Kuga-han will catch flies if her mouth hangs open any longer."

Natsuki coughed, knocked out of her reverie. She blushed lightly from embarrassment, "It's O!" She said indignantly, almost like a child trying to prove wrong what has already been proven right.

_**Strike!**_

Another lollipop found its timely way being shoved into Natsuki mouth as she said the letter 'O'.

Natsuki frowned bleakly at the lollipop's stick hanging out of her mouth, trying to keep her attention away from the outwardly laughing candy store owner.

"Ka-kannin n-na, Kuga-han! I-I couldn't re-esist!" Shizuru said between fits of hearty laughter, her hand cupped over her mouth as she tried (in vain) to calm herself.

Natsuki lifted her free hand and took out the flat, round lollipop in her hand. She twirled the stick around, "Lime." She deduced from the taste and the green color of the candy.

By this time, Shizuru had calmed herself enough to lie calmly back in the chair. She fished around in her black pant's pocket and held out a wrapper to the midnight blue haired maiden, "Save it for later." She gave a friendly smile.

Natsuki looked at the sincere smile and sighed in defeat, taking the wrapper and placing the lollipop on the wrapper and the wrapper onto her desk near the chair. Natsuki turned back to the brunette. She took a deep breath, steadying herself, "How can I get you to open your mouth, Miss Fujino?" She said each word clearly.

Shizuru, taking pity on the easy victimized dentist, gave her answer, "Say 'please'."

Natsuki blinked. _That's it?_

Fujino nodded her head and smiled as if she was reading Natsuki's thoughts. (Well, it wasn't really that hard. Her thoughts were almost literally printed in her expressions.)

"Please." Natsuki said with enough determination to make anyone believe two plus two equaled Mars.

Shizuru inwardly giggled at Natsuki's determination. She obeyed, opening her mouth, "Ahhhh."

Natsuki smiled, thankful. She then went back to her normal stoic expression as she slide back into a 'work' train of thought. Gloved hands then moved the plastic tool to Shizuru's mouth, placing it around the lips to open the mouth further to a workable size.

Natsuki paused, looking down at the 'Kodak Moment' scene in front of her.

A moment of silence.

Then a smug smirk, followed by a 'Heh.' What? It was hysterical scenes like this that made it all worth while (along with a paycheck, of course.) _Anyone_ looks funny with that fennel-like tool in their mouth.

Shizuru frowned, knowing Natsuki was laughing inwardly at the scene. Red eyes stared up at an obviously smirking expression.

Natsuki then continued on, reluctantly drawing her attention away from the scene. She did have other patients to get to today. She took an already-filled needle from its packet and pressed the back slightly, until a little droplet dripped down the side. She had to make sure no clots were in the needle. With a satisfied nod, Kuga turned to Shizuru and rolled over.

"If you feel anything hurt, lift your left hand." The dentists said. It was procedure.

Fujino nodded her head in conformation.

Natsuki then started to lower the needle slowly, calculated, towards the mouth, remembering where in the mouth she should give the numbing needle. "Now, I'm not going to lie to you. This is gonna hurt."

Fujino eyes widened as she felt a prick in her mouth and she quickly raised her left hand.

Natsuki back away in a rush. Luckily, the needle didn't go in yet. "I said to raise your hand, not smack me in the face!" Natsuki yelled, rubbing her left, now rather rosy, cheek.

Fujino looked at Natsuki, "But you said to tell you when it hurt." She couldn't close her lips, and it came out slightly slurred and gurgled, but her words were understandable.

"I meant _after_ the numbing kicked in!"

"Then say that." Shizuru shrugged, then looked at Natsuki. Now, Shizuru couldn't move her mouth to physically smirk, but her eyes showed she would have been smirking right then and there, rather smugly. "Heh."

Payback's a bitch.

Natsuki frowned, realizing what just happened. She rolled her eyes, "Look, I'm sorry." She said, sincerely.

Shizuru studied Natsuki before finally closing her eyes in a cheerful manner. All was forgiven.

---------------

"Cherry." Natsuki said at random, causing Shizuru to be knocked out of her thoughts.

Shizuru put on a confused express on her features to get her point across.

"I liked the cherry flavored lollipop you gave me yesterday." Natsuki grumbled, blushing slightly. She had paused in her work as she was heating the clear filling. Her head was turned away slightly as she said this.

Shizuru blinked at the scene, her featurs then softened and her eyes held a happy/cheery glint in them.

Natsuki turned her gaze away further. _God, she doesn't have to be __**that**__ happy._ Natsuki's blush deepened.

The dentist heard the beep that signaled the heating was done and pulled the large tool away from Shizuru's mouth and placed it in its holder. She then reached for the filer.

----------------

All went well during the procedure. Sure, Fujino, every now and then might have pulled a little a little stunt, much to the dismay of the dentist, but she wasn't stupid enough to bug her while she working on her teeth. She didn't want any permanent damage on her teeth, especially because she was a candy store owner. She wanted to be able chew candies like taffy.

Shizuru also tried to refrain from talking during the procedure. Not that she didn't want to, she just didn't like the sound of her voice when it was all gurgled and slurred from the contraption in her mouth.

Not to mention it was very unbecoming.

------------------

"You're done," Natsuki said as she pulled the plastic tool out of a very thankful Shizuru's mouth.

Shizuru opened and closed her mouth repeatedly, as if trying to remember what it was like. She then licked her dry lips with her tongue to moisten them up. She noticed something off; she blinked curiously as she bit her lower lip, finding it larger then she remembered.

Natsuki, amused, explained, "The numbing has that effect. It makes your lip feel larger than it actually is. Don't worry, it'll ware off in an hour or so. Also, I advise you not eat or drink anything for about two hours. The filling needs to set a little more."

Shizuru turned to Kuga, nodding, "Thank you, Kuga-han." She said, noticing her voice was still a little strange sounding, but an improvement from that detestable plastic thing.

Natsuki gave a small, calm smile before noticing something else. She turned her head away trying to stifle a fit of laughter. She took a couple Kleenex from a nearby box and held them out to Shizuru, her hand trembling in her 'not' laughter.

Shizuru looked at her questionably before feeling around her mouth. Fujino's eyes widened in horror as she snatched the Kleenex from Natsuki's hand and started to wipe away the saliva from her chin.

"Th-the numbing a-al-s-so does that," Natsuki snickered, turning back once Shizuru threw away the Kleenex.

Shizuru sighed, then composed herself once more before turning back. She bowed, "Thank you for your work, Kuga-han."

Natsuki nodded her head.

Shizuru leaned up before grabbing her things. She then turned back to the dentist, "Stop by my shop sometime." She smiled before walking down the hallway.

Natsuki watched her until she disappeared behind the wooden door. She was silent for a couple seconds before turning to the lollipop in the wrapper, on her desk. She lifted it, taking off the wrapper and looking at the candy-on-a-stick. She gave a small smile, "'Stop by my shop sometime,' neh?…" Natsuki placed the candy into her mouth and chuckled to herself before getting to work on the files.

Outside, Nao shooed Shizuru out the door. She told Shizuru that she'd call Shizuru's house later in the evening about paying for the appointment. I believe her exact words were, while snickering, 'I can't take you seriously with that slur, I'll call you about it later.'

* * *

Nao blinked, wide eyed as she stared at the receiver of the cordless phone. Emerald eyes looked at the small holes in the plastic questionably, "The hell was that?"

"The hell was what?" Natsuki asked, arriving at Nao's office door, as if on cue.

"That Fujino woman. I was calling for her appointment and it went fairly normal until the end."

"Why? What was the end?"

"You seriously wanna hear?"

"Yes."

"Positive?"

"Just tell me already."

Nao cleared her throat and started to reenact the end of the conversation, "'Okay, I'll come in and pay you the two-hundred and fif-**WAHHHHHHHHH**!'" Despite the fact that Nao had just yelled her lungs out, she had a fairly calm expression on her face.

Natsuki, on the other hand, had her hands over her ear, "What the fuck?!" She glared at the younger girl.

"You asked for it."

Natsuki lowered her hands, to see if her hands had blood on them. Hey, that screech was freakin' loud. "What do you mean?"

"I mean what I said, mutt." Nao glared, as if it was obvious. "That's what she said just now. Then the line went dead suddenly and you arrived."

Natsuki's frown furrowed.

"Well, whatever. I'll call her tomorrow," Nao said as she looked at the clock, "I've got plans later." She then turned to Natsuki, "Because, I, unlike someone I know, can get a boyfriend."

Natsuki glared at the redhead, "Lay off it."

Nao just smiled a winners' smile. She got up and started to clean her area. Natsuki frowned and made her way toward the front door, already having cleaned up her area and changed into normal clothes. "See you on Monday." Natsuki said dismissively.

"Yeah."

Oi. Today was a longer day then she hoped it would be. At least it was over.

* * *

It was about six hours later, going on ten fifteen, when Natsuki's doorbell rang. Natsuki frowned, turning her head away from the TV to look at the door from her 'living room's' couch. She turned her head to look at the clock. _Who the hell would come at this hour?_

She stood up and walked toward the door. She was dressed in her sleepwear, which consisted of a white tank top and boxer shorts. The cold didn't seem to affect her as much as other people. She opened the door.

What she found was Shizuru Fujino on her apartment doormat with an apologetic expression on her face. And three suitcases.

Natsuki blinked.

_What the hell?

* * *

_Oooh I wonder what's going to happen next! Don't you just love cliffhangers? I wonder why Shizuru is on her doorstep with suitcases. So many questions! Well, now I finally get to do the chapter I've been wanting to do since I thought of this story. Get ready for fluff and angst. You hear me right, angst! Can't have a good story without it. ;)**  
**

**Omake**:

**Demon**: See? Everyone wants you blind! They thought it was funny!

**Natsuki**: Screw them! I need my eyesight for my job!

**Demon**: And I need humor for my fanfic! -claps her hands and Natsuki's blind-

**Natsuki**: DAMNIT, DEMON! -feeling around so she doesn't walk into anything- When I get my hands on you, you'll wish you were never born!

**Demon**: -snickering as she walks directly behind natsuki- :3

**Shizuru**: -enters with bags- Natsuki! I just came back from the-- -blinks- Natsuki?

**Natsuki**: Shizuru! Oh, thank God! Quick, locate Demon so I can strangle her for making me blind!

**Demon**: o-o; Uh-oh. -backing away-

**Shizuru**: -has a calm smile on her face- Oh dear, Demon turning Natsuki blind changed me back to my old ways. -smirks as she summons her naginata-

**Demon**: O-O;;; -backs into a wall- W-w-wait! This is an AU! Y-You're not suppose to be able to do that! Besides, the Carnival is long over!

**Shizuru**: Ara, and I suppose I'm not able to do this either... -smirks- Kiyohime.

**Kiyohime**: -rears up from the ground and starts to chase Demon around-

**Demon**: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-- -running for her life-

**Shizuru**: -calmly walks over to to Natsuki and hugs her- Don't worry, I'll protect you.

**Natsuki**: ... -blinks as she listens to all that's going on- Maybe I should be happy that I'm blind at the moment...

**Demon**: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-- -still running for her life in the background-


	4. House Call

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Mai Hime.

Whoot! Ten pages on Word! This actually could have been broken up into two chapters, but I was feeling generous, seeing as how this is the last day I have before school starts again so I won't be posting as often. I'm also working on a Crackfic to help keep my spirits up, although, I probably won't post it up. I screwed the characters up to a fault. ; I don't know what that had to do with this fanfic, but I just felt the need to say it. Also, you might notice that the ending is a bit rushed in this chapter. It could have a been a long-drawn out scene, but by two in the morning, you really just wanna finish the damned chapter, know what I'm saying?

**kikyo4ever**: Well, I hope that this satisfies your need for answers.

**anonymous**: (anon.) Maybe. ;) Well, you'll just have to read for the answer, won't you?

**yurianimeotaku**: Somebody cares! -beaming- (**Natsuki**: That's a first. / **Demon**: -- ...)

**Ayou**: You'll just have to read to find out!

**Wolf from the Hidden Flames**: Glad to have you back aboard! You'll see her shop in due time. Trust me, it's on the list. Heh, you might want her as a dentist, but I think I'll go to my regular one. oO;;

**ssjx7squall**: Well, you'll have to read to find out.

**ManiazAnz**: But sometimes slow is good, nah? (oO; 'Nah'? -- Crap, I'm gaining Shizuru's mannerisms from writing this story. I wouldn't be suprised if I started saying 'Ara' out loud in conversation.)

**Anonymous**: (anon. 2) Then you would have had a lollipop stuck in your mouth. That's not too bad, right? ;D

**Hoppy-chan aka Naolin**: Holy Crap, it's Naolin! o-o Er... Sorry. -coughs- It's just I see you a lot on the reviews I read for other stories to see if I want to read them or not. It kinda feels like an honor being reviewed by you. ; I'm also a fan of your '**For Whom the Wind Blows**' fanfic. -ahem- Anyway. Yeah, I wanted to give them jobs they would probably never do, and work with it here. I saw Shizuru with a lot of business jobs like being a lawyer and such, so I wanted to make her laid back a bit in this one so she's not so up-tight. Thank you for enjoying the story. I just hope I can live up to everyone's expectations with this. - Oh, and about the angst, in the beginning, it's a bit more 'drama' then 'angst', but there is a little bit of angst in the background of a character (I won't say who) so there will be a bit in this story.

**cj12kal93**: Lol, find, blame the keyboard for everything! It's like like it has feelings are anything. -sniff- oO Ah, yes, my benefit thanks you. And thank you for reading! Enjoy!

**Swarm012**: Who knows? ;D

**0xnaomix0 aka naomi**: No, no. It's fine. My spellings always a little off so it's appreciated. At least you weren't obnoxious about it and told me to correct the way I write, or something. ; -joys in glee- Yay! I have a friend on here!

* * *

"Ara…" Shizuru trailed off as she scratched the side of her head, an apologetic air about her as she stared at Natsuki with ruby eyes, almost giving a puppy pout, "An explanation is in order, yes?"

"Nah," Natsuki waved it off, stepping side from the doorway, a small smile on her face.

"Really?!" Shizuru's face brightened like a new light bulb shinning for the first time. She started forward.

"Of course not!" Natsuki frowned, slamming her palm against the doorframe of her apartment, cutting the candy storeowner off.

Shizuru jumped back a bit and trailed the arm to the owner, inwardly flinching at the expecting stare, "Er…" She started, uncomfortably. She gave a helpless grin to the dentist, "Where to begin, nah?" She chuckled awkwardly.

"How about the beginning." Natsuki raised an eyebrow, her foot tapping impatiently.

"Mm," Shizuru nodded her head, a blush creeping up onto her face, from embarrassment, as she began.

**--flashback--**

"Hm, hm, hmm—mm!" Shizuru smiled brightly as she hummed away at a tuneless song. She moved the stir-fry around the large, flat pan as it sizzled in the vegetable oil. She lifted the pot away from the burning, as redundant as this is, stovetop burner. She moved her head slightly to the beat stuck in her head as she continued to hum away. The small TV was on in her bedroom/living area in her small, three-room apartment.

Just then, the phone started to ring. It was almost drowned out with all the noise going on in the rooms, but Shizuru was able to hear it.

"Ara?" She blinked, looking over in the direction of the noise as she stopped her humming. She looked over at the clock, "Someone is calling at six?" She placed the spatula down that she was using to stir the, excuse the redundancy again, stir-fry. She tensely looked from the phone, back to the stove burners that were still on, and back to the phone. "You're not suppose to leave stoves on if you're not watching it… But I can't just ignore the phone; I've been waiting for the phone call from the receptionist…" She debated with herself before coming to a conclusion.

"I won't be on the phone that long," She hastily thought out loud before turning towards the wall phone. In that instant, the vegetable oil's contents spilt onto the counter, "Shit!" The normally composed Shizuru blurted out as she quickly scrambled to pick up the container and then place it standing on the counter, before scrambling to the phone and picking it up, "Hello?"

While Shizuru talked, the vegetable oil slowly made its way to the small-flaming burner. Uh-oh.

"_Took you long enough to answ--I mean,_" Shizuru heard a cough on the other side of the phone, "_Fujino residence?_"

"Ah, I was doing something," Shizuru apologized, deciding not to dwell on the rude answering in the beginning. "Yes, this is Fujino Shizuru."

"This is Miss Yuuki, receptionist of the Gentle Dental, calling about your payment for your filling."

_Calling at six at night?_ "Yes?" Shizuru urged the younger woman to continue.

"_The total will be two hundred and fifty five dollars and forty-six cents, including tax._" Nao said with the tone of someone who has done this enough times to probably call from home and give the correct information. (Which was probably what she was doing.)

Shizuru nodded her head out of habit, even though she was talking on the phone and the other couldn't see her gesture. "Okay, I'll come in and pay you the two-hundred and fif-**WAHHHHHHHHH!"**

Shizuru stared in horror as she turned around to see her whole kitchen was on fire! She quickly hung up on Nao and dialed the emergency phone number. She tapped her foot impatiently, frowning at the blaze that she was just starting to feel.

"_Hello, you've reached the emergency line. State your probl--_"

"MY HOUSE IS ON FIRE!" Shizuru cut the woman off while screaming into the phone's receiver.

**--flashback ends—**

"—Is how it went…" Shizuru said, her voice trailing off as she finished explaining.

"**AIRHEAD!!!**" Natsuki yelled, panting afterward, watching Shizuru recover from her flinch. She had a 'are-you-really-that-stupid?!' expression on her face as she looked at the brunette.

"So…" Shizuru's eyes darted around to everything but Natsuki, "I need a place to stay."

"What about your friends?! Ask them!" Natsuki scowled at Shizuru.

"Erm, my friends are my co-workers and my co-workers are a tad…" Shizuru's eyebrows furrowed as she tried to come up with something that didn't sound too insulting.

"I get your point."

Shizuru's face relaxed, happy she didn't had to find the right adjective.

"But seriously."

"Two of them is are guys, and you can understand how uncomfortable that would be. Not to mention one of them has a girlfriend."

Natsuki shrugged her shoulders lightly, nodding. She could understand the logic behind that.

"The other two are indeed girls but they both live together as roommates and one of them can be a little on the boisterous side." Shizuru, once again, chose her word warily.

"I see," Natsuki nodded her head, "That would be a bit intruding, wouldn't it?"

Shizuru nodded her head eagerly, happy to see Natsuki got what she was trying to say.

"But… Your _dentist_?"

"First person I could think of… I was sort of pushed into thinking of someone to rely on." Shizuru stuck out her tongue while rubbing the back of her said, giving a pouting-apologetic look.

Natsuki then frowned, "Actually, how _did_ you find my address?"

Fujino look down to Natsuki with a knowing smirk on her face, "Never doubt the abilities of a, straight-A, former Student Council President." She winked, sending a chill down Natsuki's spine. And not a good one, mind you. "I've worked with computers and used several of its front and back doors to get around and get information that was needed, I think I can find an address or two."

"Y-Yeah…" Natsuki didn't think she wanted to know any more. She looked up to Shizuru, "But how am I suppose to know if your story is really real?"

Shizuru have a lopsided grin, "I bet if you check the News, they'll have something covering it by now."

Natsuki nodded, "Stay here." She said before going into her living room and turning on the TV.

Shizuru nodded and clutched her jacket tighter around herself as a breeze went by, "Winter's coming sooner this year, huh?" She thought out load as she shivered in the cold. She then looked inside, blinking in astonishment, "She can live in this pig sty?" She looked at everything, almost in awe at how trashed the place was. She saw the several food containers, "Mayo and ramen?" She raised an eyebrow and thought for a moment, before bringing her hands to her mouth, "Pfft! Who's ever heard of a dentist who eats unhealthy?!" She cracked up.

Natsuki sighed in defeat as she came back, "Your story checks out."

"Ara," Shizuru smiled, "I'm famous!"

"That's nothing to be proud of in this case," Natsuki grumbled.

"So, can I come in?"

Natsuki frowned, looking at the slightly pouting face of the woman who was standing outside in the cold. _Well… she __**did**__ loose her house and—Wait! What am I thinking?! I barely know her!_ Natsuki frowned, "No." She said, 'laying down the law'.

Shizuru's face then became grave as she looked down at Natsuki, "Kuga-han… I didn't want to resort to this, but you leave me no choice…" Her voice trailed off in the wind that suddenly blew by.

Natsuki's eyes widened slightly as she gulped, looking at the crimson-eyed store owner. Her legs didn't listen to her as she willed them to start moving.

All was dead still for a moment until…

"**PLEASE**!! Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease…" Shizuru kneeled down and clamped onto Natsuki's lower half, shaking the woman violently, almost making Natsuki loose her balance. She continued to whine her mantra as she shook. This went on for a minute or two.

"Okay, _okay_! But you have to do something for me!" Natsuki yelled, thankful that the woman finally stopped. She sighed, heaving because of all the energy just drained out of her. She looked down to see the expression of an excited puppy on the other's face. _Oi…_

"Like what?" The said 'puppy' asked happily. You could almost image the tail wagging back and forth excitedly as she loosely gripped Natsuki's mid section.

"I dunno. But it better by something good!" Natsuki nodded her head and folded her arms under her chest.

The said puppy gained an inquisitive look, cocking her head to the side as she placed a finger under her chin. Again, you could almost see the dog-ears perk up and her tail wagging as she thought of an idea, "Mayo flavored candy!" Ew.

Natsuki's expression changed form burdened to intrigued in an instant, "I'm listening." She urged the kneeling woman on.

_As much as I hate to do this…_ "How about I try to make a line of mayo flavored candy, a batch, just for you?" Shizuru explained. She inwardly shivered.

Natsuki thought long and hard before sighed, "Fine, fine… But just until you can get your own apartment," She said. She then looked down, "Could you let go now?"

"Oh, oops," Shizuru have an apologetic grin as she let go of Natsuki's mid section and stood up. She grabbed her three suitcases and walked inside. Natsuki closed the door behind her. Shizuru turned around, "Kuga-han, O—"

"Natsuki."

"Huh?"

"If you're going to be staying in my home, it's going to be annoying if I hear 'Kuga-han' the whole time. Just call me Natsuki."

"Natsuki…" Shizuru tasted it on her tongue, then frowned. "Something's missing."

Natsuki frowned, irked. "I'm sorry my names doesn't suit your tastes."

"No, no. Not that." Shizuru frowned, "Like, it's missing an honorific."

Natsuki smirked narcissistically, "Well, I guess this _is_ my house and all so I guess an honorific is obligated."

Shizuru frowned at Natsuki's cheeky expression, "Natsuki-sama."

"Heh!" Natsuki just got an ego boost.

"Natsuki-dono."

Natsuki opened her eyes from her gloating and gave Shizuru a questioning look, "Isn't that a bit too—"

"Kami-Natsuki!" Shizuru announced loudly as she raised her hands to the Gods. She looked back down to Natsuki and clapped her hands twice in her direction. She then got down and kneeled on the floor. She lowered her head to the floor and placed her hands on either side of her, "I'm not worthy!"

"Now that's just being obnoxious!" Natsuki glared at the older woman, her fist balled and her teeth bared.

Shizuru smirked, "Then don't get egotistical." She got up and brushed herself off. "But something's still missing…"

"Oh please," Natsuki rolled her eyes, the sarcasm almost literally flowing from her mouth like water from a faucet, "Enlighten me."

"Natsuki…" Shizuru trailed off, then smiled brightly, "Natsuki-chan!"

_-chan?! What the fuck?! What am I, eight?!_ "No!" Natsuki protested.

"So, where am I going to sleep?" Shizuru completely ignored Natsuki as she turned and started to explore the different rooms.

_She's ignoring me!_ Natsuki gaped before snapping out of it, quickly following and running in front, "On the couch of course!"

"Ikezu, Natsuki-chan!" Shizuru pouted, "How can you offer your _guest_ the couch?"

"Easy, I just did." Natsuki said, not budging.

Shizuru then frowned, "Fine. If it's going to be like that." She bent down slightly, as if she was going to dodge. She tried to the left, then to the right. Kuga quickly followed, blocking Shizuru's way. Shizuru then frowned as she backed up a bit, making Natsuki smirk. Shizuru then charged forward and Natsuki got ready for Shizuru's turn.

Wait a second…

Natsuki's eyes dilated. _She's not turn—_

Natsuki was tackled onto the bed by Shizuru. "Ha!" The candy storeowner smirked down at the stunned dentist.

Natsuki frowned, regaining her composure and pushing the older woman off, "Fine! I don't care anymore!" She said in a grumpy-tired kind of way.

Shizuru pouted, "And your bed is a queen size. It's not like two people won't fit."

Natsuki's frown furrowed, shuffling under the covers, "Whatever," She grumbled, turning away from Shizuru.

Shizuru went under the covers on the left side, not bothering to change out of the clothes she had on besides taking off her jacket, of the bed while Natsuki occupied the right. She smiled warmly as she got under the covers. A moment of silence before: "Ookini, Natsuki-chan."

"S-shut up!" And embarrassed blush found it's way onto her cheeks. Natsuki turned off the light and stuffed her face into the pillow, trying to get some sleep.

* * *

_Saeko bent down to a young four-year-old Natsuki with a piece of candy in her hand, "Here you go, Natsuki-chan." Her mom's voice was filled with happiness as she held out the small, cylinder shaped wrapper out to emerald eyes filled with childish glee._

_Natsuki greedily snatched the candy from her mom and gave a wide grin up to the contently smiling mother._

"_You were such a good girl today," Her mom complimented. Saeko then pondered for a moment to herself before looking back down at Natsuki from behind her glasses, "Do you want two pieces of candy?"_

_Natsuki looked up at her mom, her mouth gaping at the thought of having yet another piece of candy. Once she snapped out of it, she nodded her head enthusiastically, "Yeah!" Her cheeks pinked up with her excitement._

"_Okay," Saeko placed her hand onto her child's head as she explained, "All you have to do is wait until after dinner to eat the first one, then you can both at once."_

_Natsuki stared as she soaked all this in, "Dinner?" She asked, bright green eyes looking thoughtfully at her mom._

"_Yes," Saeko nodded, "Dinner will be ready in a few hours. Until then, why not go to the park a couple houses away and play until then."_

_Natsuki nodded her head before stuffing her new piece of candy into her pocket and rushing towards the door. She reached up to turn the knob, then raced toward the playground down the street._

"_Candy! Candy! Candy! Candy! Candy!" A very hyper and young Natsuki sang as she ran towards the jungle gym as fast as her five year old legs could take her. She suddenly stopped though, once she heard crying. Curious eyes turned toward the sound to find a girl on the bench at the edge of the park, the girl's hands whipped away the tears from her face._

_She slowly started to walk towards the girl._

--------------

Natsuki slowly opened her eyes to the white ceiling above. She shifted her left arm onto her forehead as she scowled at the panels. _That dream again…_ She sighed and tried to get up, only to fall back down because of a weight on her torso. "Huh?"

She looked down. Her eyes widened.

_Holymotherfuckingdinosaurwithapopcilestickinacondo!!!_

Shizuru nuzzled her head against Natsuki's chest in her sleep, a blissful look on her face. Her soft snoring was steady and relaxed.

"W-W-W-WHAT THE HELL?!" Natsuki yelled, now fully awake because of this unforeseen circumstance.

"Mm?" Shizuru opened her eyes slowly, sleepily, and groggily lifted her head from Natsuki's torso.

"Don't 'Mm' me!" Natsuki had to refrain from yelling as she looked down at the brunette, "Why are you hugging my chest?!"

"Ara?" Shizuru blinked, looking down. Sure enough, Natsuki's chest was right there. The only thing separating her cheek from Kuga's skin was a grey tank-top. "I thought my pillows were a bit more squishy than usual."

Natsuki gapped. "Explain yourself!"

Shizuru looked up to Natsuki with a groggy, half-asleep, apologetic smile, "I have a tendency to cling to things in my sleep. That's why I usually have about five pillows lying around my bed… Until they were engulfed by flames." She ended, remembering last night.

Natsuki stared down at Shizuru in disbelief, "'Cling'…?"

"Hai."

"Oh God, I picked up a weirdo." Natsuki sighed exasperatedly as her gaze moved back up to the ceiling panels. She felt a weight once again on her torso. She looked down to see Shizuru laying her head on her chest once more. She blushed furiously as she looked down, "Fujino!"

"Nah?" Shizuru was lying on her stomach, her arms around the bluenette's waist, and her head resting on Natsuki's chest once more. They formed a sideways 'T' with Shizuru lying horizontal across the bed.

"Why are you laying back down?!"

"But it's _so_ comfy," Shizuru smiled as she nuzzled again, still half-asleep. Shizuru paused for a bit, a thoughtful look crossing her features, "Granted, my pillows are a bit small, but—"

"I'm _SO_ sorry your 'pillows' are small!" Natsuki yelled, infuriated, as she immediately leaned up, causing Shizuru to roll down to her lap. She glared down at the older woman.

Shizuru just giggled as she looked at Natsuki's intense frown. She smiled warmly as she reached up and poked Natsuki's furrow right above the bridge of her nose, "Natsuki-chan will gain wrinkles if she keeps scowling like that."

"Argh!" Natsuki pushed the older woman off her lap and got up. She looked down at her tank top, "You even drooled!" She exclaimed.

A softer giggle came from behind her, "Kannin na."

Kuga just frowned, looking over her shoulder, "You can take your shower first." She said, before walking towards the living room area and turning on the TV.

* * *

The door opened from the shower and out came a Shizuru still drying herself. She started to walk toward her suitcases, which were still contained in the walkway/dinning/kitchen area of the apartment.

Natsuki perked up and walked into the hallway, seeing Shizuru right there. She gasped, "What're you doing?!"

"Hm?" Shizuru looked up from her suitcases, "Getting clothes to put on."

"But you're n-n-n… And your towel isn't… And you're right…" Natsuki couldn't finish her sentences as she blushed, looking at Shizuru's backside.

Shizuru raised an eyebrow questionably, "But we're two girls, so it's okay, nah? Kinda like being in gym class in high school."

"Y-Yeah…" Natsuki looked away, hiding her face as she rubbed it. _Why the hell am I so flustered?_ "Just put close on quickly!" She said before she herself went to grab some of her clothes to put on for when she herself got out of the shower.

"Oh, and Natsuki-chan? Make sure you put on clothes to go out. We're going to go out once you finish your shower."

_Now she's making plans?_ "What makes you think I'm going out?" Natsuki called back down the hall.

A fully clothed Shizuru immerged at the doorway, frowning. Her arms were crossed under her chest, "Natsuki-chan, mayo and ramen do not count as a proper meal. We're going to the super market to buy food."

Natsuki opened her mouth to protest, but Shizuru beat her to it, "Which also brings up the issue of garbage everywhere." Shizuru kicked an empty soda bottle, "But we'll get to cleaning this place up tomorrow. Food is more important."

Natsuki could feel herself being swept around by the wave dubbed 'Fujino Shizuru', not able to protest or fight back. She sighed in defeat, her head hanging, "Fine…" She grumbled. She shuffled toward the bathroom and closed to door to shower.

* * *

"Neh, Fujino," Natsuki started, trying to get Shizuru's attention, boredly looking around the dairy section of the supermarket. Her arms were resting on the handle of the rolling cart she was leaning against.

"Shizuru."

"Hm?" Natsuki looked up, confused.

"Just call me Shizuru," The Kyoto born said as she looked at the expiration date of the milk before putting it into the cart.

"Okay… Shizuru."

"Yes?" Shizuru looked up to Natsuki after kneeling to place the carton down.

"I've been wondering: A straight-A student that is Student Council President grows up to be a candy store owner?"

Shizuru flinched, and noticeably forced a smile toward Natsuki, "It's… A bit more complicated then that… I'd rather not talk about it right now."

Natsuki's chest tightened slightly at the vainly hidden sad expression and nodded her head. She watched Shizuru relax, then looked down at her list to the next thing to find.

Shizuru started to walk towards the fruits section and Natsuki, obeying, followed, pushing the cart after her. Shizuru then suddenly halted to a stop causing Natsuki to be pushed out of her reverie, "What?" She questioned before following Shizuru's gaze. She frowned.

"You don't need any candy! You make the stuff for Pete's sake!"

"I know but," Shizuru turned to Natsuki with pleading eyes, "But… but it's _candy_!"

"No!" Natsuki frowned, "If you want some, go to your store and take it." She looked back to Fujino, "Guh-?!" She was taken aback by the sight.

Shizuru had a puppy pout on her face, whining slightly. You could almost imagine the puppy ears folded back as she begged.

Natsuki's eye twitched. _Can't… resist… face…_ "Fine! But only one bag!"

"Yay!" Shizuru sped off into the section and Natsuki sighed, watching as the hyperactive older girl zoomed up and down the walkway, finding the one she wanted. _She's like a little kid…_

Shizuru came back with a bag and placed it into the cart, the puppy expression still on her face, "Onward to the fruits!" She announced, walking off.

Natsuki sighed, shaking her head as she followed. Natsuki started to think to herself once more as Shizuru examined the fruits. "Natsuki-chan."

"Hm—WAH!" Natsuki blushed as she stumbled backward, but managed to catch herself.

Shizuru blinked, curiously, tilted her head to the side. All the while holding two melons in front of her, "Natsuki-chan?"

"N-nothing!" Natsuki frantically waved it off.

"You have to squeeze the top to see if they're good enough to eat."

"I-I-I don't want to!" By this point, Natsuki was a red as a tomato and her arms were waving rapidly.

Shizuru raised an eyebrow, but decided it would probably be best to not ask. She placed the two melons into the cart and walked away, Natsuki following. She read off the rest of the items on the list: "Chocolate, honey, and whipped cream."

Natsuki flinched all at the mention of all three items. The blush that had went away, coming back at fast pace.

Shizuru raised a brow once more, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" Natsuki's voice cracked slightly, the blush still on her cheeks as she looked away.

Shizuru looked at the blush. Then the list of items. Then to Natsuki. Then to the melons. Then to Natsuki again.

Fujino peered at Natsuki, who was looking back through the side of her eye, "Ecchi Natsuki-chan."

"NO!!" Natsuki yelled in her protest, only to blush darker.

"Uh-huh…" Shizuru gained a dull voice, walking over and taking the cart before walking off to the items.

Natsuki ran to her side, "Really! It's not what you think!"

"Sure…"

"Shizuru! You gotta believe me!" Natsuki continued to try defending herself.

"Right…"

Natsuki suddenly stopped, "Alright, alright. I admit it. I was staring at your chest." She deadpanned.

"Congratulations." Shizuru's voice didn't come out of its dull tone as she continued to walk.

Kuga raised an eyebrow, "Hm?"

"You've been promoted from 'closet-pervert' to 'full-blown pervert'."

"I'm not either!" Natsuki exclaimed.

This continued on for a few minutes as Shizuru got the last few items and went to the counter and paid for them. By this time, Natsuki gave up trying to defend herself, grumbling by the bags. She grabbed them once Shizuru paid and started for the door. Shizuru followed, placing her wallet back into her purse.

Shizuru looked at the store next door and got an idea. She walked over to Natsuki and gave her the car keys, how they got to the supermarket in the first place. "Here, take the bags to the car. I'll be right back." She smiled brightly and she was off.

Natsuki sighed, taking what seemed like twenty bags to the car and putting them in Shizuru's car's trunk. She closed the trunk and sighed, leaning her back against the car.

"Natsuki?" A familiar voice called over.

Natsuki turned to the source, "Mai?"

"Thought that was you," Mai smiled brightly, "What brings you here?" The busty woman asked.

"Shopping for groceries, you?" Natsuki answered her co-worker.

"Same here. Mikoto here is helping me carry the bags." Mai gestured to the teenager walking closely next to Tokiha.

The dentist assistant, also known as Mikoto, beamed as she proudly lifted the bags she was carrying, "Yup, yup!"

Mai then chuckled slightly, causing Natsuki to scowl, "What's so funny?"

"Well, to see you here to by groceries and not mayo and ramen is... well, a miracle, to say the least."

"No, it's my weird roommate." Natsuki frowned, crossing her arms under her chest.

Purple eyes widened, "You? Roommate?"

"Yeah. Her name's Fujino Shizuru, a patient of mine."

"You mean the one from the fire last night on the News, 'Fujino Shizuru'?"

"Yeah, that one. She needed a place to stay."

"That was nice of you," Mai gave a warm smile.

"Not it's not!" Natsuki blurted out, causing Mai to jump back slightly. Natsuki continued, "She shows up out of nowhere and claims I'm the first person she thought of to go to. She says she can't go to her friends and that she found my address using 'recourses'. She barges in and started calling my name with the '-chan' suffix, and claims half my bed to sleep in. She clings to stuff in her sleep and doesn't understand the definition of 'personal space'. She is open about almost everything and is too childish when she's older then I am! No, it's not nice, it's annoying!" Natsuki panted as she ended venting out her anger on her co-worker and friend.

Just then, something made a thumping sound, as if something was dropped.

Natsuki turned around to see Shizuru's face reddened, tears streaming down her cheeks, her face holding a miserable expression before she turned around and bolted across the parking lot.

"Shizuru!" Natsuki's eyes widened as she turned and started to run toward the brunette, only to loose her from sight in the sea of cars. "Shizuru…" Natsuki looked down to her feet to see the item that was dropped. It was a large basket filled with several items: a stuffed-animal wolf plushie; a bag of candy; a bottle of good wine and a card.

Natsuki bent down and picked up the card. She read the envelope, "'To Natsuki-chan'…" She opened it up and took out the card that had 'Thank You' in big bold letters on the front. She opened the card to find Shizuru's hand-written message in it:

'_Dear Natsuki-chan,_

_Sorry that I'm being a burden! Just wanted to get that out there. My co-workers say that I'm a bit of an airhead and that I'm slightly hyper and hard to deal with at times. I know that was probably the case for you, but you haven't committed suicide yet so I must be doing something right, nah? –laugh- Anyway, I wanted to say thank you for letting me stay at your apartment until mine is fixed. You don't know how thankful I am that you accepted. I hope we can at least become friends out of this, and I'll try to do my share of chores so I'm not just moving in and freeloading. Again, I can't thank you enough! Oh, and about the mayo candy, it might take a while to actually make it, so hang in there for me, okay? Ookini!_

_Signed, Shizuru._'

Natsuki finished the letter and her hand clinched slightly before she looked back in the direction Shizuru left in, "Damnit…"

* * *

Okay, so it's more of 'Drama' then 'Angst' right there at the end. But Angst sounds so much cooler and it's fun to say, so I labeled it as Angst. So there. oO; Shuck-darn! A sad ending to a fluffy chapter, what'll happen next?

**Omake**:

**Demon**: Shizuru, sit.

**Shizuru**: -had pointed dog ears and a wagging tail- -squats down and places her hands onto the ground, panting slightly, with a puppy expression on her face- :3

**Demon**: Good Shizuru. Now, paw. -holds out her hand while kneeling down-

**Shizuru**: Woof:3 -places her slightly curled hand into Demon's-

**Demon**: Good girl! Now lay down. -drops Shizuru's 'paw'-

**Shizuru**: -lays down flat on her stomach- :3

**Demon**: Roll over! -makes a rolling motion with her index finger-

**Shizuru**: -rolls over and pants as she finishes- Woof:3

**Demon**: Good Shizuru! Good girl! -gives Shizuru a piece of candy- Now, bring me a toy.

**Shizuru**: Woof! Woof:3 -runs off on all fours, her tail wagging-

**Demon**: o-o; -blinks as she looks over at the pile of chew tows, and then back to the direction Shizuru ran off in- Uh...

**Shizuru**: -comes back, growling determinedly as she pulls on Natsuki's sleeve with her mouth- :3 -continues to pull Natsuki towards Demon, her ears back and her tail wagging-Woof! -stops as she sits to Natsuki's side and looks up expectantly-

**Natsuki**: --;

**Demon**: ;; Well... She... brought a toy...

**Shizuru**: Woof:3


	5. Sorting Out Problems

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Mai Hime.

Fear not, my loyal minions! It is I, Demon, here to grace you with a new chapter! -shot- Anywho, sorry for taking so long to update. Actually, I wanted to get the forgiving scene down perfectly (which I think I did rather well on, if I do say so myself!), but I usually listen to music in order to get into certain moods. I finally found a song that put me in the mood: "24" by Jem. Ironically, I think that's about as many times I had to listen to it in order to let the mood finally sink in and start writing. oO;

**I would like to apologize!** I realized that I butchered Natsuki's character in the last chapter and I'm sorry. But I just kinda had to! XP;; I couldn't resist the urge! But, I think I put her back in character in this chapter as best I could. (Then again, what exactly _is_ an OC Natsuki's personality. oO;?)

**Hoppy-chan**: Hm, I see what you mean. Perhaps I made her a bit bashful about the situation to a fault. oO; I'm sorry. I tried to tone that down a bit in this chapter, how'd I do? ;; Yeah, me too. I read all these stories about them meeting up, and considering her attitude, I find it strange that she doesn't do anything about it, so I let this Natsuki snap about it. Well, I just hope the apologizing scene is good enough for the people here that are anxious about it. ;

**kikyo4ever**: Maybe? -shrugs- :3 'One can only wonder,' indeed.

**Evil Detective**: I think so too. And thank you!

**Kosia.**: Gone are the days when Shizuru will only be recognized as a well-mannered, poised, controlling-person! I have morphed her character in a way in which (almost) everyone likes and no one can do anything to stop me! Bwahaha!! -evil- But seriously, thank you for your compliments. I just hope I can keep writing a story in which you'll (and everyone) will enjoy. And yes, there is a small amount of angst to help move the story along. A good story can't just be all fluff, now can it?

**lindred**: Yes, we could _all_ use an airheaded Shizuru in our lives, couldn't we? XD

* * *

Natsuki's gaze was focused on the dark road ahead, but her mind wasn't. Her eyes had a dull stare to them as she looked out of the car she was driving; Shizuru's car. Natsuki's fists clinched around the steering wheel as her memory replayed that moment for what seemed to be the millionth time as she drove down the road.

_The eyes._ Her knuckles turned white from gripping the wheel too hard. _The sadness in those fiery eyes… It looked so wrong…_ Her lips parted slightly as she bared her teeth in frustration. Her eyes narrowed. _Damnit…_

She shook her head lightly, navy blue locks falling from behind her shoulder, "I can't be like this when finally facing her." She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, trying to calm herself down. "I can't be angered when finally facing her." She told herself in a monotone expression.

All was quite for a couple more minutes before the rain splattered onto the front window of the car, penetrating her thoughts. Natsuki looked out to the headlight's beams, looking at the rain falling in the light projecting from the bulb. "Heh, rain," Natsuki smiled darkly at the irony. "How fitting." She mused.

Natsuki's weak smile quickly faded and all was quiet the rest of the ride home.

* * *

Natsuki slowly walked up the steps to her apartment, the cold winds blowing layers of water onto her already soaked clothes and skin. Her expression was unreadable. Her actions were steady. Her resolve was firm.

She was going to apologize.

She set down the countless white, plastic bags and fumbled with her keys, trying to find the right one to unlock the door with and get out of the annoyingly persistent rain. She finally found it and placed it in the lock. She paused for a second, then frowned at her hesitation. She slowly unlocked the door before placing the key back into her jacket's pocket. She picked up the bags and opened the door with slight difficulty; she pushed herself to turn the handle. She walked inside and closed the door behind her, placing the bags down and clenching and unclenching her hands to get rid of the stinging feeling of carrying too many plastic bags at once.

She rubbed her shoulders with her hands, trying to relax them, and looked at the clock. _12:04…_

She stared down the hall to see a light barely visible from the bedroom. A small droplet of relief found it's way into Natsuki's mixed emotions, somewhat happy that she guessed right: that Shizuru would come home, her home.

Well, of course she was right. Let's face it, Shizuru can't go anywhere else, now can she?

Natsuki stared at the dim light behind the usually open door. All that was visible was the outline of the door from the light shining within.

Natsuki then shook her head and walked over to a nearby chair, hanging her jacket on the chair's back and walking back to the groceries to put stuff away. She had to prepare herself for the talk about to come.

When Natsuki finished putting most everything away, she looked at the basket and sighed inwardly, taking out the stuffed wolf and held it in front of her, "What would you do in this kind of situation?" She asked softly, even though she knew she wasn't going to get an answer.

"Well… Nothing will happen by delaying the inevitable," Natsuki said, sighing aloud this time as she took the last white bag and started her for room, to Shizuru.

Natsuki walked down the hall quietly, her body casting a large shadow behind her from the light coming out from the cracked-open door. She placed the wolf plushie in the white bag and reached for the knob. She paused once again, flinching away slightly, then forced herself to grab the knob, pushing the door open slowly.

She cringed as the door creaked open, telling Shizuru of her presence before anything was even said. She stood there silently as she looked at the figure still in her clothes, huddled up on the left side of the bed, hugging the pillow close to her and burying her face in it.

No words were exchanged, but the atmosphere in the room was heavy. Natsuki shifted uncomfortably in the silence that lasted a good minute or two. The plastic bag in her hand crinkled slightly as she subconsciously fidgeted with the material. She drew in a deep breath, as if bracing for what was about to happen. "Shizuru…" Her voice seemed to carry about in the room.

No reply.

Kuga frowned, "Shizuru," She tried again, "I need to talk to you." She forced the words out, a bit more sternly then she would have hoped.

Still no reply.

The plastic crinkled once again as Natsuki's grip around the handles tightened in her left hand. _Answer me, damnit._ She was getting frustrated again. "Shizuru," She said firmly as she started to walk towards Shizuru's side of the bed.

About halfway there, the figure turned slightly, her stomach almost completely laying down on the crumpled bed sheets as kept her face buried in the pillow.

Natsuki froze for a second, a flicker of pain running through her veins at the subtle action. She narrowed her eyes to the wooden floor and clinched her teeth in desperate frustration. She shuffled over to the bottom edge of the bed and sat down, the bed whining under her weight. "I… I'm not good at this." Natsuki started again, inwardly beating herself up at not being able to come up with anything. She continued to slouch, staring at the floor and the bag between her open legs. Water droplets from the heavy rain dripped off of her pant legs and hair, "What I mean is, is that I don't do this often because I don't know how. Mai is usually the one doing this and I don't like to get involved in these sorta things so…" Natsuki trailed off after she realized she was rambling.

Natsuki inwardly cursed at her stupidity at 'these kind of things.' She looked down at the bag, "I-I brought you a gift." The ending of her sentence had a hopeful tone to it, more then anything. Green eyes quickly glanced over her right shoulder to see if this provoked any action, but when none came, she just looked back down and continued, "It's green tea." She bluntly stated. "You're into sweets and all that jazz, but I thought you could try it out. You seem like the type of person who's into trying new things." Natsuki smiled weakly as a scene of Shizuru trying something bitter ran through her head.

Her smiled, once again, faded as quickly as it came. She shifted her body slightly, placing the bag onto the bed and turning so she was facing toward Fujino's back, "Shizuru…" She trailed off, watching the back of the brunette and getting irritated once more by an absence of response, "Are you even listening?" Natsuki's tone was evidence of her anger.

Her hands, which had originally been supporting her body, were now clenched in tight fists filled with bed sheet.

And even then, no replay came.

Natsuki's teeth were now visible; she had to restrain herself from growling and gritting her teeth. She shot up from her sitting position and marched towards Shizuru's side of the bed.

Natsuki's patients had reached its end.

She reached Shizuru's side and forcefully grabbed the brunette's shoulders, flipping her stomach-side-up. Natsuki crawled onto the bad, hovering over the candy storeowner, "Listen to me!" She almost yelled out.

Red eyes, both shocked and stunned, stared wide-eyed up into the crisp green before her.

Natsuki noted her features. Shizuru's cheeks were red and her eyes were outlined in pink. _She must have just recently stopped crying…_ Natsuki pulled her face away slightly, her dripping, blue hair framing her face, "I'm sorry, okay?!" Natsuki couldn't control her emotions anymore. "It all came out at once! I'm not use to that sort of thing! No one has ever called me '-chan' or begged for candy like a spoiled kid around me! No one's ever angered me so easier or persisted so much until I let them have their way. Yes, _yes_ it was annoying!"

The shock slowly faded away at those last words. Shizuru's eyes started to moisten and tears threatened to escape.

"But…" Natsuki continued, her voice softening as she tilted her head down, out of view, her face now being obscured by her hair.

Shizuru's eyes widened ever so slightly in surprise. _'But…'?_

"You have to let me get to know you better." Natsuki looked up with helpless eyes. "I have to get to know you. This, all of you, is new to me, so you have to let me get use to it. You're hyper, air headed, and giddy; and yet shrewd, calculating, and wise. All of it is something new, so you have to give me time and let me get use to it all, okay?"

Natsuki leaned up a bit higher, loosening her grip on Shizuru's shoulders, looking down into ruby eyes, "I'm sorry. Truly, deeply sorry. Can you forgive me?" Natsuki asked, sincerely.

Shizuru looked up into the pleading eyes, trying to find any hint or trace of lying. She found none. She gradually smiled as she slowly brought her hands around Kuga's neck, "Natsuki." She pulled the dentist into a tight embrace, her chin resting on Natsuki's left shoulder, her eyes closed and a content smile on her face, "Natsuki…"

At first, Natsuki's body stiffened at the action, but gradually started to relax in the tight hug. She closed her eyes and smiled, moving her arms under Shizuru's back so she could hug her friend back. She basked in the unspoken words:

_All is forgiven._

…

This lasted all of a good four or so minutes until:

"Ara, Natsuki-chan's going to get hypothermia if she doesn't change her pants."

"Huh?" Natsuki pulled away and look at her pants, then where the wet spots were on the bed, "Gah!" She quickly got up, blushing lightly from embarrassment. She frowned, looking at the giggling candy storeowner before turning around to grab some pjs, walking toward the bathroom to put them on.

She'd never admit it, but she was happy. _She's back to normal… well, as normal as she can be anyway._

When Natsuki came out with a new set of pjs on, drying off her hair, she saw Shizuru sitting on the bottom edge of the bed, peering at black beads that stared back into her rust-colored orbs. Shizuru also has a set of pjs on.

Shizuru perked up, lifted her head and looked over at Natsuki before smiling, "Welcome back."

Natsuki simply nodded, giving the stuffed toy a questioning look, "Why'd you buy it anyway?" She asked curiously.

Shizuru tilted her head to the side, "Does Natsuki-chan not like him?"

Natsuki huffed at this statement, "Of course I like it, wolves are cool!" She said it as if it was the most obvious fact in the world.

Shizuru covered her mouth discreetly as she snickered at Natsuki's expression and turned her head away.

Natsuki growled, "What?" She narrowed her eyes.

"Nothing, nothing," Shizuru waved it off as she turned her head back to Natsuki, "I got him because he reminds me of Natsuki-chan." Shizuru smiled.

Natsuki raised a brow, "'Reminds me of'…" She blinked, confused, "Wait, now it has a gender?"

"Of course Duran has a gender! How rude!" Shizuru teasingly huffed.

"Now it has a name?!"

"Shh!" Shizuru covered the plushie's pointed ears, "Don't listen to your father."

Natsuki's stare became dull, "'Father'?"

Shizuru hugged the male stuffed wolf now dubbed Duran, "I'm the mom, and you're the dad. Now, take care of Duran, Natsuki-chan!" Fujino held out the stuffed toy to Natsuki who stared at it before reluctantly taking the toy. She sighed, "Fine." _I'll play along…_

"But why do I gotta be the dad?" Natsuki frowned.

"Because you're more boyish then me." Shizuru answered matter-of-factly.

"Boy?!" Natsuki thumbed towards her chest, "If I'm a guy, then what do you call these?!"

"Small." Shizuru smiled innocently.

Natsuki just glared.

"Time for bed." Shizuru smiled childishly as she announced that, crawling towards the side of the bed. Only, this time it was Natsuki's.

Natsuki frowned, walking over to her side and glowering down at Shizuru who only smiled back innocently, "Oi… What do you think you're doing?"

Shizuru's innocent smile widened slightly, "Does Natsuki-chan really expect me to sleep on the wet side of the bed? And if I do recall, it wasn't _my_ fault that it's wet…" She let the words linger in the air.

Natsuki lowered her head, grumbling to herself about the rain before growling, "Fine! But just for tonight!" She said as she got into bed once Shizuru scooted over slightly.

Almost immediately, Shizuru clung to Natsuki's side, holding that playful face.

Natsuki dully stared at the darkened room's ceiling. After a bit, "… Shizuru?"

"Nah?"

"Get off."

"No."

Natsuki then tried to push her off, but Shizuru persistently clung on and grabbed at Natsuki's shirt until Natsuki yelped.

Natsuki instantly covered her mouth with both of her hands. Her cheeks reddened as much as a ripe tomato as her pulse quickened. She gulped as she could almost physically feel the Cheshire Cat smirk appear on Shizuru's face.

"… Natsuki-chan?" The brunette asked at length.

"… Yeah?" Natsuki hesitated to answer.

"Are you ticklish?"

"… No." Natsuki lied.

"Hehehehehehehehehe…" Of course Shizuru saw through the lie easily, showing this fact off in the creepiest way possible: deep, drawn-out snickering.

"If you can cling, do you promise not to tickle?!" Natsuki blurted out the first deal she could come out with.

Shizuru stopped and pondered for a moment then smiled in the dark, "Okay."

Natsuki relaxed, then shifted her body slightly, so she's at least be comfortable when Shizuru nuzzled her face, entangled her legs around her right one and gripped her stomach. _Just put up with it for tonight…_

"Good night, Natsuki-chan."

"Good night, Shizuru."

"Good night, Duran." Shizuru cuddled the stuffed toy close to her.

Silence.

"Natsuki-chan, say it."

"…."

"Say it."

A sigh, "Good night, Duran." The voice was dull.

Shizuru barked slightly, imposing as 'Duran's' voice before giggling slightly, "Here." Duran was placed onto Natsuki's chest next to Shizuru's face, "You can use Natsuki's pillows too!"

Natsuki's left eye twitched a few times, "Shizuru?"

"Yes?"

"Shut up and go to sleep."

"Hai."

* * *

"_Stupid girl, you'll never amount to anything! Hear me! Never!"_

Shizuru opened her eyes with a jolt. She trembled slightly as sweat tricked off her forehead and onto Natsuki's shirt. She breathed heavily before starting to relax. She looked over to see that she was subconsciously holding onto Natsuki's shirt tightly with both hands. She took a deep breath in before letting go of the shirt, slowly exhaling. She laid her head back down onto the slumbering woman's chest and looked into black beads. She gave a weak smile as she let go of Natsuki's side with one of her hands and clutched the plushie, bringing it close to her.

_I haven't had that dream in a while… And here I was, finally starting to enjoy life a bit._

Shizuru looked up at Natsuki's sleeping face and smiled. She looked over at the clock, "Time to get up." She gently slipped her arm out from under Natsuki's waist and placed Duran to the side.

She crawled over Natsuki and looked down at her sleeping face, "Time to wake up, Natsuki-chan." She whispered and slowly lowered her face closer to Natsuki's.

… Closer…

… Closer…

She suddenly smirked as she placed one hand on Natsuki's mouth, the other plugging her nose. Her face was hovering about three inches above Kuga's, a mischievous glint in those scarlet eyes.

Natsuki, after a bit, her face turned distraught in her sleep. It then slowly turned to anger as she subconsciously moved about. Shizuru wouldn't let up. Natsuki's expression then turned to panic before…

Emerald green shot open and Shizuru back away, sitting contently on Natsuki's legs as the younger woman gasped for air. She felt the weight on her legs and look down to see Shizuru sitting on them. She glared, "ARE YOU _TRYING_ TO KILL ME?!"

"Ara," Shizuru plugged her ears, "So loud in the morning…"

Natsuki's anger was noticeably boiling over as she gritted her teeth, clenching and unclenching her fists in a threatening manner.

Shizuru took this as a cue to stumbled off the legs and run away. Natsuki was close behind, "Get back here y—" Natsuki successfully stumbled over a piece of trash, falling flat on the wooden floor "…"

Shizuru slowly advanced back towards the fallen Natsuki, in fear for her life, "Is Natsuki-chan okay?"

"Not a word." Natsuki mumbled into the ground.

It was silent as Shizuru squatted down next to Natsuki. At least, for a minute or so. Giggling came, followed by, "Kami-Natsuki's friends are telling her to clean her apartment."

"What did I just say?" Natsuki frowned, lifting her head from the ground to glare at Fujino.

"I'm sorry! It slipped!"

Natsuki sighed, slowly getting up, "You just can't help yourself, can you?"

Shizuru gave Natsuki an apologetic look, "How about I make it up to you with breakfast?"

Natsuki's eyes shot up as she ran to the kitchen and blocked the doorway, her eyes wide.

Shizuru frowned, "Now that's just rude. It's not like I go around burning kitchens for fun."

"Still."

Shizuru continued to frown, showing she was serious.

Natsuki sighed, "I'm staying in the room just in case." She walked inside the room and sat down on one of the chairs.

Shizuru walked inside and started to take some things out to make a 'real' meal.

An idea struck Natsuki, "Oi, Shizuru."

"Hm?"

"What'd you do with the bag on the bed last night?"

"I moved it off the bed while you were changing."

"Okay," Natsuki got up and started for the bedroom. She looked about the room until she found the white, plastic bag and brought it back into the kitchen. Natsuki placed the bag on the counter and took out the green tea.

Shizuru looked over Natsuki's shoulder curiously, "What's that?"

"Green tea. You're going to try it."

"Bleh." Shizuru went back to her original position and stuck out her tongue, squinting her face as she scowled, "Bitter."

"You're going to try some," Natsuki gave a 'and that's final' tone in her voice, "It's something new."

Shizuru sighed in defeat, "Fine." She mumbled.

* * *

Soon, their traditional breakfast was made, complete with a cup of hot, steaming green tea on Shizuru's side. During the time they ate, Shizuru would bring up a random topic when Natsuki looked like she was about to mention the tea.

"Tea!" Natsuki said, catching Shizuru off-guard during a moment of content silence. The candy storeowner flinched at this, seeing as how she wasn't about to block it in time. "Before it gets cold," Natsuki said, leaning back as she watched the brunette hesitantly look over at the tea.

"Do I have to?" Shizuru looked back up to receive an impatient stare as an answer. She audibly sighed and carefully picked up the mug that the steaming tea was inside of. She felt its weight in her head before drawing it close. She hesitantly lifted the mug to her lips, the tea's scent filling her nose. She lifted back and opened her mouth slightly, closing her eyes.

She took a small drink and lowered it. Her eyes opened, "It's bitter." She said.

Natsuki sighed, "Of course it is."

"I don't like it." Shizuru took a sip. "It's horrible." Another sip. "Who would drink something like that?" Yet another sip. "I would die before drinking something this bitter." And, you guessed it, another sip.

"Uh… Shizuru?" Natsuki blinked as she watched Shizuru take her fifth consecutive sip.

"Who would drink something this bad?" Shizuru held it to her lips a bit longer this time before lowering it.

"Shizuru, you've taken a drink six times in a row now. It can't be _that_ bad."

Shizuru's red eyes widened slightly in realization. She'd been doing without thinking! "Help!" Shizuru looked to Natsuki with pleading eyes, "I can't put it down!" She lowered her hands to where they were hovering about five centimeters above the table and her hands started to shake, "I can't let go!" She whined. She tried several times, but to no avail, "It's like the cup is stuck!"

"Shizuru," Natsuki frowned, watching the overly dramatic scene before her. She sighed, "Calm down, Shizuru."

"But-!"

"Just calm down. Breath in and out."

Shizuru slowly nodded, doing what she was told. She slowly brought the cup down, hovered her hands a few centimeters above the table, and stopped. All was still for a moment before a swift motion brought the cup to her lip for a quick sip and landed it on the table.

Natsuki watched it all and opened her mouth to comment, before closing her mouth and shaking her head. _It's not worth it…_ She slowly got up and looked down at Shizuru.

Shizuru sighed, finally relaxing before she started to get up and place the dishes in the already over-flowing sink. Mind you, the tea hasn't been moved. She smiled as she turned around, "Well, let's get to work!"

* * *

Much work was needed, and was done, as they cleaned the apartment. They started in the kitchen before they moved to the main room/walkway, then to the bathroom and finally ended at the bedroom. They talked about many things, making many deals and chatting about various things.

Of course, every once in a while, Shizuru would pour herself a cup of tea and sip it, then see Natsuki watching. She'd then claim that it was the most disgusting thing she'd ever tasted, and put the cup down before scuttling away. Denial is a bad thing.

When they were done, Shizuru crawled off the bed after placing Duran in the middle of the pillows and stepped back to admire her work, "There. Done!" She nodded, a bright smile on her face as she turned to Natsuki, "That wasn't so hard, right?"

"Well, I guess it's nice to be able to walk without tripping over anything," Natsuki smiled, looking around the apartment.

"Well, time to take a shower and go to bed," Shizuru said as she looked at the clock. After all that cleaning, talking, and joking around, it was late.

Natsuki gave Shizuru a stern look.

Shizuru lifted her hands in front of her in defense, "Hai, hai. I promised not to walk around with nothing on while I dry off." She rolled her eyes.

Natsuki nodded and walked off towards the couch as Shizuru got ready for her shower.

* * *

After Natsuki was done with her shower, they both walked to the bed and thankfully embraced the warm, fluffy feeling as sleepiness washed over them. Or rather, one of them did, at least.

Shizuru smirked as she looked to her left to see Natsuki contently smiling with her eyes closed. She smirked, clutching a pillow, "All work and no play makes Natsuki-chan a flat pillow." And with that, she hit Natsuki in the face with the cushion.

Natsuki was silent for a moment before she herself smirked and leaned up. She grabbed the pillow before standing, "You have challenged the wrong person to a pillow fight." She started to brandish her pillow around, "Be afraid at my awesome pillow-ninja skills!" She then promptly dropped it after throwing it too high.

"Pfft!" Shizuru started to giggle, "'Ninja' indeed." She then hit Natsuki's legs before sliding off the bed and started to run.

"Oh no you don't!" Natsuki smirked, grabbing her pillow and jumping off the bed, running after the older woman.

Their pillow fight, filled with laughs and giggles, lasted a good hour or so; until they called truce on account of it was getting much later and both were exhausted from running around the apartment.

They both went back to the bed and collapsed, turning off the light. Shizuru, once again, snuggled into her favorite sleeping position under the covers and smiled.

"Shizuru," Natsuki said, dully.

"Yes?"

"Why are you cling to my side again?"

"Ara, didn't we have a deal? As long as I don't tickle you, I get to cling."

"What?!" Natsuki almost yelled, "That was only suppose to be for last night!"

"I don't remember Natsuki-chan setting any date. So, as long as I don't tickle you, I get to cling, and that's that."

"But—"

"'And that's that'."

"Argh! Fine!" Natsuki would argue with her tomorrow when she wasn't so tired.

Shizuru reached behind her and grabbed the stuffed wolf and brought it next to her head, on Natsuki's chest, "Good night, Natsuki-chan."

"Good night, Shizuru."

"Good night, Duran."

Silence.

"Natsuki-chan, we're been over this. In exchange for you taking away my freedom, you say good night to Duran."

_What part of walking around with no clothes on while drying yourself can be considered 'freedom'? _Natsuki huffed in annoyance, "Good night, Duran."

"Woof!" Shizuru giggled a couple times before contently sighing and nuzzling into her favorite position, quickly falling into a light slumber.

Natsuki sighed, a small smile appearing on her face. _With this new coming month, I swear I'll try my best to get use to this._ Natsuki swore a silent oath before she herself contently fell into a light sleep.

And so the beginning of November came, and with it, new possibilities, a new lifestyle, and a new friendship.

* * *

Hold off on the cotton-candy and marshmallows because a whole lotta fluff is coming your way! ;)

XP Sorry, no omake this time. I'm too tired and I can't come up with anything funny enough. Maybe I'll make two next time to make up for it. Maybe.


	6. Mayo Candy

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Mai Hime.

-cringes as she re-reads this chapter- Okay, I'll be perfectly honest: This chapter sucks ass. It's one of those chapters where you _have_ to do it to get the story going along, even though you don't know what the hell to type. In fact, it's so bad that I was stuck on the same part of the store for the last two weeks or so. Finally I just said something along the lines of "Screw it." and got it over with.

In fact, I was stuck for so long that I know what I basically want to happen more then a few chapters down the line. XP;; But I'm back from writer's block. Nice to be back, thanks for asking.

Nine whole pages on Microsoft Word of basically nothing. It just taps into things here and there. But still, you should read it to get a feel of what's to come. -shrugs-

On a somewhat lighter note: I updated my profile there now there's actually something there! -le gasp-

Oh yeah, I met someone on deviantart one day that liked my story and he told me so. I'd like to dedicate this chapter to "Stan" for the compliment and enthusiasm. XD That helped inspire me to type a little bit more that day on the chapter. (But would you really want a chapter dedicated to you right after you find itit probably won't be that good? oO; )

**Kosia.**: Yes, well, Shizuru and tea just seem to be magnetic, you know? She couldn't get away even if she wanted to. -evil smirk- And now Natsuki has fatherly responsibilities to attend to and she doesn't have a say in it if Shizuru has anything to say about it! -nods- Respectively, of course. Because, this is the way it's suppose to go. (And the world continued to turn on it's axis, breathing a sigh of relief that everything was normal once more.)

**Poptarts**: (anon.)You an everyone else my friend. XD Even I was laugh as I typed it down. I was having too much fun with that chapter.

**ManiazAzn**: -sniff- TT That's all my story is to you? A "break from all the other things..."? -runs away dramatically whilst bawling- XD Joking, joking. But thank you for reading an reviewing. X3

**yurianimeotaku**: Don't worry, we all have to 'drill' at the puns once in a while. -shot- And you're welcome. It's reviews like this that make it worth while to write these stories. For that, I thank you.

**Swarm012**: But where's the fun in that if she doesn't call her '-chan'? ;)

**AnimeJock**: Thank you. Although, I think it's safe to say that she'd make a much better parent in your fanfic then in mine, so I'll keep it to stuffed animals in this one. XD (Also, ironically, I read the first chapter of your fanfic recently and couldn't wait to read the next chapter. Then I kinda wished for the next chapter, but I personally know it takes a long time to write chapters so I contented myself to waiting. But then I pushed the 'Mai Hime' button and low-and-behold, your fanfic was updated. Then this happened: "Holy shit! My wish came true! -clicks the new chapter button- ... I wish for a million bucks!... -nothing happens- Damnit. Ah well, at least I got an update." The sad part is that it's actually true. XD;; I have no life.)

**0xnaomix0**: Yes we're friends! ) Yes, mental images are bad!... As you'll soon find out in this chapter and omake. XD

**Hoppy-chan**: Yes, denial can only last so long, but that doesn't mean I can't drag it on a bit, right? XD Yes, Natsuki rather does has a surprisingly high level of tolerance for someone of her temperament. oO;

* * *

"_Stupid girl, you'll never amount to anything! Hear me! Never!"_

The alarm clock was beeping as Natsuki groggily opened her green eyes and felt around for the annoying gizmo. When she finally touched it, she slammed it off. She tried to get up but felt a weight on her torso. She looked down to see Shizuru still sleeping. She sighed, shaking her head. _Figures an airhead like Shizuru would be able to sleep through an alarm clock._

She then noticed something. She narrowed her eyes at the tight fist grasping at her tank top. She then saw Shizuru's breathing was a bit unstable, she had sweat on her face and that she was trembling.

"…" She slowly reached her left hand to cover Shizuru's right, the one with the tight grip, and leaned her right hand over to she could stroke the brunette's hair. "Shh." She continued to coo.

Slowly, but surely, Shizuru's face started to relax as the candy storeowner started to calm down.

Natsuki smiled at the scene as she took Duran and slowly unhinged Shizuru's hands from her shirt. Shizuru started to grope around in her sleep, Natsuki placed Duran on her hands. The Kyoto born cuddled into a ball with the stuffed animal as Natsuki got up.

Kuga then got some clothes for the day and went into the bathroom to take a shower and do the daily necessities. When she got out she saw Shizuru just waking up, "Oh, sorry." Natsuki stopped to look at her, "Did I wake you?"

Shizuru slowly shook her head while rubbing her right eye with her right hand, "No." She said before yawning. She then placed a tired, half-asleep smile on her face, "It didn't feel like Natsuki-chan, so I woke up."

Natsuki frowned, folding her arms under her chest, "I'm suppose to believe that you woke up because the thing you were cuddling wasn't me."

Shizuru lazily nodded her head, giving Natsuki a small smile.

Kuga just sighed, "Just get up and get ready for work."

"Hai."

After thirty minutes, Shizuru still wasn't out of the shower. Natsuki tapped her foot as she looked in the direction of the bathroom. She sighed, getting up from the couch and walked towards the bathroom. She knocked on the door, "Shizuru, you almost done?"

No response.

"Shizuru…?" Natsuki knocked again.

Noise came from the other side of the door. It sounded like a yawn, followed by, "Good morning, Natsuki-chan."

"'Good morning'?…" Natsuki blinked then her eyes widened in disbelief after she thought for a bit, "Don't tell me you fell asleep in the shower!"

"But the water was warm and relaxing." A whine came from the other side of the door.

"Airhead! We have to leave soon!"

"Kannin na…"

Natsuki just sighed, rubbing her temples, "You'll be the death of me, I swear…" She trailed off, walking away as she waited for Shizuru to get out.

* * *

After Shizuru got out and they both had breakfast, they walked toward the door. Natsuki opened the door and Shizuru walked out, followed by Kuga herself. The raven-haired woman closed and locked the door behind her. She turned to Shizuru who had an apologetic expression on her face still. "How _do_ you get to work on time?"

"Well, normally I have more hours of sleep, but we were working and had that pillow fight last night. And now it seems I can't get to sleep unless I cling to Natsuki-chan so I didn't get any sleep once you got up," Shizuru answered honestly.

Natsuki frowned. _That's the best excuse she can come up with?_ "You honestly expect me to believe that?"

Shizuru nodded her head energetically.

Natsuki face-palm and shook her head slowly, "Why don't we just get a large, human-sized stuffed toy for you to cling to?" Natsuki lowered her hand onto her chin and tilted her head thoughtfully, "But the first place that comes to mind with human-sized stuffed toys is the amusement park and we're not going to—"

Natsuki was cut off by a loud gasp.

Natsuki looked over to the source of the gasp, Shizuru, to see her with an excited expression on her face. Natsuki raised a brow, "What?"

"Natsuki-chan's taking me to an amusement park?!"

Natsuki blinked. _Huh?_ "Huh?" She voiced her thoughts.

Shizuru looked like she was having a hard time containing her energy until she pulled Natsuki into a tight hug, "Ookini, Natsuki-chan!" She pulled away to look at the bewildered dentist, "We should go this weekend!"

"I didn't say that we'd—"

Unfortunately for Natsuki, her side of the conversation fell on deaf ears as Shizuru hurried down the stairs in an excited fashion, "Natsuki-chan's taking to me to the amusement park!" She singsonged all the way to her car.

Natsuki gaped as she watched Shizuru disappear from view. _What did I get myself into?…_

* * *

After Natsuki told the situation to her co-workers, one was laughing their ass off, the second one had a bewildered/awe expression and the third one was sneaking a peek into the lunch boxes.

"Mutt-face can't get a boyfriend so she steals a homeless girl!" Nao continued to laugh, pounding her fist onto the table she was resting her head on, "This is priceless!" Tears started to form in the corner of her eyes.

"Well," Mai started, although it was hard to be heard over Nao's laughing, "At least you two made up and you were forgiven for your… outburst." Mai chose her words with care.

Natsuki's left eye was twitching and her fists were balled as she listened to Nao's hysterical laughing, "Y-Yeah." Her forced smile flickered slightly until she finally gave in, "NAO, SHUT UP." She glared towards the redhead. "It's not that funny."

"Sure it is! One of your patients burns her house so she comes to you and you take her in. During that time she forces you to eat healthy and makes you clean your apartment. She can that _not_ be considered funny?!"

Natsuki frowned, realizing Nao did have a point. _She also clings to me in her sleep, but I'll leave that out…_ "In any case," Natsuki coughed, trying to regain some dignity back, "That's basically what happened. And now I have to buy amusement park tickets, apparently."

"Why?" Mai questioned.

"She misinterpreted something I said and that's the outcome," Natsuki looked away.

"Why'd you say?" Nao finally calmed down, whipping the tears of laughter from her eyes.

"Something! I said something okay?! I'm not going to give you every detail." Natsuki folded her arms under her chest in defiance.

Nao propped her chin up in her hand after leaning her elbow on the table, "You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say that kinda sounded like a date."

Natsuki's eyes widened slightly, gulping slightly. _D-Date…?_

* * *

"WHAT THE HECK IS 'MAYO CANDY'?!?"

Yukino had to hold back Haruka from strangling Shizuru after she told what was required for her to stay at 'Natsuki-chan's' house.

"Well," Shizuru said, looking at the raged blonde, "I was thinking of the name 'Mayo Drops'. They'd be small, circular and flat on two ends and look kinda like mints—"

"THAT WAS RECORITAL!" Haruka yelled once again.

And Yukino continued to hold her back, "It's 'rhetorical', Haruka-chan."

"That's what I said!"

"No, no. I believe Suzushiro-han said—" Shizuru was cut off by a pleading look of Yukino who was keeping Haruka back still. Shizuru clear her throat, "Well, we'll only be making them for one person, so let's get started!" Shizuru cheerfully went towards the experimenting both with a white, plastic bag filled with mayo packets.

"Then why bother naming them?!" Haruka growled. At least she calmed down slightly so Yukino could let go without worrying about their boss needing to go to surgery two seconds later.

Shizuru paused for a second before looking to Reito sweetly, "Reito-kun, would you—"

"Not even for my job, Shizuru-san." Reito smiled calm, knowingly.

Shizuru pouted, "Please?"

Reito shook his head, his smile never wavering.

Shizuru sighed, then turned to Yuuichi, "Tate-han, please report to the experimenting room in a bit so you can test the Mayo Drops."

Yuichi gaped, "Kanzaki gets to choose but I don't?!"

Reito turned to Tate as Shizuru simply walked into her experimenting room, "Maybe in a few years you might start to get a choice. 'Veteran's Privileges' if you will."

Tate just groaned.

Reito, Haruka and Yukino started their daily routines as Yuuichi waited for his slow and painful death— er, candy tasting time to begin.

Hours later, and a few hasty trips to the bathroom for Tate, it was time to go. Poor Tate. Good thing his girlfriend was a dentist, huh.

Shizuru looked at the clock after putting the rest of the packets of mayo into a small office fridge. She smiled as she took off her store's apron and hung it up, placing her jacket on its hook. She walked towards the door while saying her goodbyes and went to her car. She started it up and nodded at her decision on what she was about to do, a bright smile on her face.

* * *

"Hello?" Shizuru started, trying to get the receptionist's attention. She then vaguely remembered the name of the red-haired woman, "Miss Yuuki?"

Green eyes lazily looked up from the magazine in her hands, "Yes?" _It's the Fujino chick that's staying at Kuga's…_ At this, her placed down the magazine down that was in her hands and suddenly looked that much more interested. She had a small smirk on her face, "What can I do you for?"

Shizuru held back from commenting on Nao's instant mood swing, "I was wondering if Natsuki-cha- er, Kuga-han was available to talk to. I have to ask her something."

Nao smiled as she got up and walked to the hallways door that lead to the dentists' chairs. She opened it up, "Natsuki-_chaaaaaaaan_!" Nao rung out, "Miss Fujino would like to speak to _yooooooou_!"

After that, some loud sounds could be heard followed by a string of curses. Whether they were from the patient or the dentist herself wasn't known. Who knows, could have been a mixture of both. After a quick apology, stomping of feet could be heard, "NAO! IF YOU'RE LYING, I SWEAR I'LL GRAB THAT TONGUE OF YOURS AND SHOVE IT UP YOUR—" Natsuki reached the door and saw Shizuru standing behind a broadly smirking Nao.

"You'll shove it where?" Nao asked, grinning like a cat.

Natsuki coughed, once again trying to regain her composure, completely ignoring Nao, "Shizuru, what's up?"

"Well," Shizuru was having a hard time keeping her laughter in from behind her hand, "I was wondering if we could get the tickets together."

Natsuki looked at the time, "Yeah, I'll be done soon. Just wait in the lobby."

* * *

And so, once Natsuki was done with her dental work and clocked out, they each went to their own vehicles. Shizuru drove her car while Natsuki rode her motorcycle behind Fujino's car. They stopped at the nearest ticket distributing office and picked up a couple tickets for that Saturday.

They walked outside and the wind decided to pick up, chilling them both to the bone, even through their jackets.

"Natsuki-chan," Shizuru started, moving her hands up and down her covered arms, trying to make them warm.

"Yeah?" Natsuki pocketed the tickets.

"I say we get winter clothes. Winter is coming earlier this year," Fujino said as she continued to rub her arms.

Natsuki looked up to the white sky, holding her hair out of her face with her left hair, "Yeah, that would be a smart idea." She said passively before she looked at Shizuru, "Meet you at the department store?"

Shizuru nodded her head and walked to her car as Natsuki went to her bike.

Most of the car ride was good, until a red light came.

Natsuki pulled up behind Shizuru's car and stopped in the two-lane street as she waited for the light to turn green.

A couple of teenagers drove up and looked at her with mocking expressions as they revved the engines on their sports cars, _obviously_ asking for a race.

Of course, with Natsuki's temperament she was able to ignore them… for about two seconds. She, being pissed off, started to revving back, glaring at them from behind her helmet.

Shizuru watched the whole scene through her reared-view mirror, a bit confused about the whole thing.

Once the light turned green, two sports cars and a motorcycle were off in a flash, going down the streets, trying to be first.

Shizuru frowned as she started to drive once more, "…" Needless to say, she was not happy.

* * *

Shizuru was waiting on a bench outside the busy department store, in the cold, for at least twenty minutes. Oh, and she was still ticked off.

Natsuki came strutting up, an obnoxious smile on her face, "Ha! Guess who taught those punks a thing or two about speed!"

Shizuru merely got up and brushed the dirt off her pants before she stood at her full height, looking down at Natsuki with a ticked off expression.

"Shizuru?" Natsuki blinked, "What's wrong?" _She's kinda intimidating with that expression…_

Before another word could be uttered, Shizuru smacked Natsuki across the face, "Do you know how worried I was?!" She almost yelled.

Natsuki didn't, or rather, couldn't reply. She just raised her hand to the now red handprint on her left cheek, a dumbfound expression on her face. _What..?_

"You could have gotten into an accident and hurt or you could have gotten lost! I have no way to contact you if anything should happen. You could have even di—…" Shizuru shook her head as if that possibility could be taken away by the simple action.

Natsuki subconsciously rubbed the sore spot as she looked down. _I made her worry?…_ Natsuki opened her mouth to whisper an apology.

"Nah?"

"I'm sorry." This time it was said aloud.

Shizuru's face relaxed, "It's okay, but only if you give me your cell phone number so I have a way of contacting you. Honesty…"

They exchanged phone numbers.

Natsuki then frowned, still rubbing her cheek, "But did you have to hit me that hard?"

Shizuru blinked, then tilted her head slightly, "'That hard'?"

"Yeah, it stings like hell."

"Oh? It does?" Shizuru scratched her cheek with her finger, an apologetic expression on her face, "Kannin na, Natsuki-chan. I didn't mean to hit that hard." Shizuru then smiled, an idea appearing. She pulled out a lollipop from her purse and presented it to Natsuki.

Natsuki sighed, smiling helplessly as she lowered her left hand and took the pop, "Ah, the infamous lollipop."

Shizuru huffed, "'Infamous'?"

Natsuki looked to Shizuru, "You really can't expect me to think it's the best thing in the world, can you? Don't you remember the first two ways it was presented to me?"

Shizuru sighed, defeated, "I guess you're right." They both headed for the department store.

They walked about ten steps; Shizuru was staring at the red mark on Natsuki's cheek the whole way. She slowly started to raise her index finger to the bruise.

"Don't you even think about poking it." Natsuki said, not even turning the brunette.

"Aww," Shizuru pouted as they entered the front door.

* * *

They picked out some heavy clothing that they could use for the winter to come.

"Natsuki-chan!" Shizuru popped up behind the blunette, "We should go to the dressing rooms!"

Natsuki frowned, "But Shizuru, it's only jackets and stuff like—"

"No!" Shizuru quickly cut Natsuki off, "We come to a clothing store, so we try things on. And that's that." Shizuru nodded, "Now pick out some things so you can try them on." She said before walking away with a handful of clothes she had in her own arms.

Natsuki frowned. Sure, she said she'd get use to the other woman's antics, but they can't just get a set of winter clothes and be done with it? Knowing Shizuru, though, she knew she'd be dragged into this even if it killed her. She rolled her eyes while grabbing some articles of clothing that she thought looked nice, and fit.

Her mind flashed back to the time at work with Nao mentioning a date. She looked at the clothes in her hands. _This is almost like a date, isn't it…?_ She blushed and shook her head rapidly. _Stupid, Nao._

She walked over to where an impatient Kyoto born was waiting happily, "About time you got here." Shizuru joked. She then smiled and started to push Natsuki into an open booth. She closed the red curtain after pushing the dentist inside, "Don't keep me waiting!"

Natsuki sighed as she started to take off her jacket, pants and shirt, wondering why this couldn't have been kept to a simple visit to get jackets. She continued until she heard something behind her.

"You're taking too long."

Natsuki: "That doesn't give you an excuse to come inhere! Get the hell out!"

Shizuru: "Aww look. She's blushing!"

Natsuki: "Shut up!"

Shizuru: "Aww, you're so cute! C'mere and give me a hug!"

Natsuki: "Gah! Get off me! Don't touch me while I'm naked!" _She has underwear on._

People abruptly stopped what they were doing and turned towards the dressing stall, confused.

Shizuru: "Oh, right. I forgot _someone_ is ticklish _here_." _Natsuki's side._

Natsuki: "G-gah! Stop it!" _Natsuki whimpered to keep from laughing._

Shizuru: "Here." _Natsuki's stomach._ "And here too!" _Natsuki's neck._

Natsuki: "S-stop!"

A large thud sound was heard as more people started to gather around to hear.

Shizuru: "Ikezu… Natsuki-chan's being rough." _Natsuki accidentally pushed Shizuru away too hard and made her hit the wall._

Natsuki: "W-well it's your fault for tickling me there!" _See above._

Shizuru: "Still, Natsuki-chan didn't have to play that rough. I'm still sore from last night. I don't need any more aching." _The pillow fight._

People's eyes widened at the last words said.

Natsuki: "You were the one that started to get rowdy first. I was just following suit." _Still talking about the pillow fight._

Shizuru: "I didn't hear you complaining last night. All I heard was the sounds of pure bliss." _Natsuki was laughing and Shizuru was giggling during the fight._

Natsuki: "That's because I was too into it to notice! Normally I would have taken the lead!" _Been the one of the offensive in the pillow fight._

Shizuru: "Fine. Next time, Natsuki can be agressive and I'll follow." _Switching roles in the fight._

Natsuki: "Huh?"

Shizuru: "Yes?"

Natsuki: "That was… easier then I thought it would be."

Shizuru: "What is?"

Natsuki: "I thought you'd put up more of a fight to be first_." Once again, strategic positions in the fight._

Shizuru: "Well, Natsuki-chan put on such a good show and it felt good so I'll give her a chance." _Natsuki's childish side was the show and it always feels good to let loose and play a game with friends._

Natsuki: W-what makes you think there will be a next time?!"

Shizuru: "Oh simple-minded Natsuki-chan, there will _always_ be a next time if I have to say anything about it." _Another pillow fight._

Natsuki: "Whatever! Let's just get the jackets and stuff we picked out and put these clothes back. I don't feel like trying on clothes after all that." _Talking._

After some shuffling, the long, red curtain to the booth opened up and Natsuki walked out –fully clothed- to find a crowd of people staring at her with wide eyes and flushed cheeks. Some of them even looked like they were holding back nosebleeds. Natsuki frowned, "What the hell're you all looking at?!" _Weird people._ Natsuki thought to herself.

The people hastily moved on after being threatened.

Shizuru walked out and placed the store-owned clothes on the return shelf and walked beside Natsuki with her own chosen winter clothing in her arms, "Let's go check these out."

Natsuki nodded her head before leading the way.

They bought their stuff, left the department store, and went to their respective vehicles; drove to Natsuki's apartment and parked in available spaces; met up at the front door and went inside, placing the bags of new clothing on the table and taking off the jackets they had on and their shoes before finally changing into bed clothes, separately of course.

As Shizuru started to put stuff away, Natsuki walked toward the couch in the main room and sat down sideways. Her legs were sprawled out frog-legged style, her left leg leaning against the back of the couch, and her back leaned against the armrest. Her hand lazily gripped the controller as she channel surfed.

Shizuru came back with a small, ever-present smile on her face as she sat down in the far end. After a couple minutes, she shivered slightly before pulling a nearby blanket around her body and pulling her legs to her torso.

"… Hey," Natsuki started at length.

"Yes?" Shizuru encouraged her, not turning to the dentist.

"How did you know when I got off work today?"

"Ara, Natsuki-chan underestimates my skill as a former Student Council President," Fujino giggled.

Natsuki inwardly sighed. _She says 'former Student Council President', but with skills like that, she could become a computer hacker…_ She then blinked as she realized something, "Hey, what's that mean?"

"It means I figured out how to gain access of computer file—"

"No, not that. I mean that 'Ara'. What's that mean?"

There was a moment of thoughtful silence.

"You know… I don't... rightfully know, to tell you the truth." Shizuru tilted her head as she continued to think, "I suppose of must have just picked it up when I lived with Obasama."

Natsuki turned her head to the brunette, "Your aunt?"

Shizuru smiled, turning to face Natsuki, "Yes, but that's a story for another time, alright?"

Natsuki noticed the love that shown off in Shizuru's smile at the mention of 'Obasama' and couldn't help smiling back, "Sure, I'll wait."

"Ookini."

Natsuki nodded and turned back to the screen before her. A couple moments later, she heard shuffling and weight upon her torso and mid-section. She looked down to see Shizuru laying the side of her head on her chest and laying down between her legs, "Oh hell no."

"But it's cold," Shizuru whined jokingly.

"I said no." Natsuki snapped.

Shizuru smiled, "But it's—" She was cut off by the serious stare of Natsuki who seemed to really not want Shizuru there. Shizuru slowly got up from upon Natsuki's body and slunk back over to her original position, the expression of a beat puppy on her face as she solemnly stared at the TV screen.

Natsuki side glanced at Shizuru out of the corner of her eye and sighed, seeing her expression. _… I'm cold._ She turned her head away and blushed lightly, "Oi."

Shizuru glanced over, her gaze still expressionless, "Yes?"

"… I'm cold." The blushing woman said at length, her face still turned away.

Shizuru blinked, confused, then her face slowly morphed into one of childish glee, a wide grin on her face, as she figured out what Natsuki meant. She quickly got up and ran to the bedroom.

Natsuki blinked, watching, a confused expression appearing on her features. _Uh…?_

Shizuru came back with something in her hands, but before Natsuki could make it out, her eyes dilated at the sight of Shizuru diving toward her.

"BANZAI!" Shizuru yelled before she landed on top of the dentist.

"OMPH!!" The wind was knocked out of Natsuki on impact. As she wheezed for breath, she glared down at the woman already snuggling up to her body, "You could have broken either me or the couch! Think before you perform an action, you airhead!" She harshly scolded.

Shizuru just smiled innocent, "Kannin na." She continued to cling to the body as childlike red eyes met angered green ones.

Natsuki huffed. _There is no getting through to that woman._ She frowned as she settled back into a comfortable position, the body of the candy storeowner still lying on top of her.

Shizuru brought the blanket up over the two of them before settling in her own cozy position. She wrapped her right arms under Natsuki, just above the waist, and griped the shirt lightly. She then produced in her left hand what she got from the bedroom before, Duran. She smiled contently as she brought the stuffed animal close and laid her head on Natsuki's chest.

They both watched TV, completely unaware of the fact that they were both falling asleep from being too comfortable. Soon, they both feel into a soft slumber.

Outside the window, small flakes started to fall.

* * *

I assure you that the next chapters to come will have enough fluff to put your stuffed animals to shame. I SWEAR this!!

**Omake:**

**Demon**: -reading reviews- Hm. Yes. I see. The readers seem to like a tea-denial Shizuru and Natsuki's chest. Now, if only there was a way to put those two together... -continues grumbling to herself-

**Shizuru**: -walks in, eating a donut, and sees Demon- Ara, what's up with her?

**Natsuki**: -frowning- Don't ask. She's trying one of her crazy schemes again... -raises an eyebrow- Is that a donut?

**Shizuru**:3 Why, yes. Donuts are my second favorite food next to candy. X3

**Natsuki**: -.-; It's for the sugar, isn't it?

**Demon**: I HAVE IT! -turns to Natsuki and points to her dramatically- Quick, Natsuki! Get into a bathtub fulled with steaming green tea bare naked!

**Natsuki**: HELL NO!

**Shizuru**: ... -imagining it- ... -runs to the corner before she nosebleeds-

**Natsuki**: -gaping- Not you too, Shizuru!

**Demon**: -smirking evily- Yes, Natsuki. You're outnumbered: out against Shizuru, me and the readers. You have no choice not but to get in the tub!

-a few minutes later-

**Demon**: -twitching on the floor, bruised in more places then she can count- It was worth a shot...


	7. Winter Wonderland

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Mai Hime.

Whoo! Almost thirteen whole pages! And as usual, I don't feel like proof-reading at twelve midnight so you'll have to bare with it! -shot twice- (There are even a couple words the spell-check didn't know how to interpret. oO; ...)

But in honesty, I'm sorry for taking so long to update the real chapter. I made it extra long because I took so long, instead of splitting it in half like I originally planned. The reason I took so long was about I didn't _feel_ like doing it until I actually started typing, then it flowed. Actually, one week, I was doing all these intros, then I did the little side-story for this, then I started another fanfic and I've been working somewhat on that, plus on my 'Unstable' story on the day I was feeling ticked off. I just never got around to this one until now. I'm sorry.

I've been second guessing if I should use the Kyoto-ben I have been. My knowledge is worse then the 'limited' status and for some reason, I feel like I'm insulting a good culture somehow. I don't know, maybe I shouldn't do it anymore. What do you guys think? Should I continue to give Shizuru a Kyoto-ben accent?

Ho, Nastuka gets a little jealous, Shizuru's gets a little possessive and Takeda gets a foot-full. Everyone's happy now I'm finally stepping up the bar! Will that and the length make up for the time of absence:);;

**yurianimeotaku**: Yes, I'm happy you noticed. -flicks away the drag she was smoking- o-o Just don't hit me with a stick-of-doom and I'll be fine... The cliffhanger made me do it! I swear! -twitch-

* * *

The chirping of birds is what woke Natsuki up from her deep and comfortable slumber. She shifted slightly, her torso and legs feeling numb as if something had been keeping her in place for the whole night. She moved her arms and banged her left elbow on the wooden edge of the couch, "Ow," She grumbled, hoarsely because her throat was dry. She rubbed her elbow a bit, still half asleep. She tried to get up, her eyes half-lid, but was stopped by a force pushing her down.

The force whined in a tired, grumpy way and held Natsuki down powerfully.

"Shizuru," Natsuki grumbled, looking down and seeing the older woman's face stuffed into her chest. By now, she was use to it. "We gotta get up," She said, trying to sound more responsible than she actually was.

Shizuru made more whining noises as she nuzzled farther into the chest.

Natsuki sleepily rolled her eyes before she reached over to Shizuru's shoulders and started to shake her awake, "C'mon. Up-n-at'em."

Shizuru lifted her face from the comfortable position she was in and looked up at Natsuki with sad, puppy-dog eyes.

"That isn't going to work this time," Natsuki huffed with a stern look on her features.

Shizuru pouted when she unhooked her hands from Natsuki's side and looked into tired green, "Natsuki-chan's tired." She smiled weakly

"And you have morning breath," She grumbled in reply.

Shizuru gave a small smirk as she started to shuffle and move her body upward, until their noses were lightly brushing, "Fu." She blew her breath slightly.

Natsuki's eyes widened slightly as she looked away, her cheeks gaining a small shade of pink, "J-Just get off."

Fujino slowly placed her hands on the couch so she could get up, "Ikezu." She said before she lifted up off of Natsuki's body. The blanket fell off her back and Duran was still Natsuki's chest. Shizuru got up from the couch and stretched her stiff limbs.

Natsuki grabbed the stuffed animal from off her chest and placed it on the couch seat as she leaned up. She slowly got up and yawned, still trying to wake up. She must have slept really soundly, "We gotta get ready for work." She said, vaguely wondering why her alarm clock didn't go off.

"Natsuki-chan."

"Hm?" Natsuki looked over to see the Kyoto-born standing near the window, ushering her over. "Yeah?"

"I don't think we'll be going into work today." Shizuru said as she pointed outside the window.

"Huh?" This intrigued the cobalt-haired dentists. She walked over and noticed what Shizuru was talking about. Her eyes widened slightly, "Oh."

The snow must have been about three or four feet high; everything was covered in the white fluff.

"I guess we got those winter clothes just in time, right Natsuki-chan?" Shizuru smiled as she looked at the scene in front of them.

"Heh, yeah." Natsuki tore her gaze away from the Winter Wonderland and walked back towards the TV, "But it's only the beginning of November." She said as she picked up the remote and turned the TV on. She switched it to the news channel and saw the warning not to go into work today. She then switched it to the weather channel and listened in. After a bit: "We slept until one in the afternoon?!" Natsuki said, aghast.

"I guess we were both very tired, we did have a big day," Shizuru smiled knowingly as she turned her head to the raven-haired woman.

Natsuki frowned. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you actually woke up three or four times before and just went back to sleep."

"Why, what makes Natsuki-chan say that?" Shizuru turned her whole body to her housemate.

"The fact that I'm getting to know you better, that's what."

"How about breakfast?" Shizuru walked towards the kitchen, changing the subject abruptly, "Or would it be lunch now?"

"Shizuru!" Natsuki growled, following her.

"That's my name, don't wear it out!" Shizuru called from the kitchen.

Natsuki clinched her hands and counted to ten before entering her small kitchen/dining area. She looked over to Shizuru who was already getting food out, then sat down at the small two-person table.

"Nah, Natsuki-chan."

"Hm?"

"Can we take a walk?"

"What?" Natsuki blinked, caught off-guard.

"Everything's covered in snow and it's a day off. Can we talk a walk?" Shizuru asked, her back turned as she started to put her –more like adopted Natsuki's- apron on.

Natsuki thought for a second, then shrugged, even though Shizuru's back was turned, "I don't see the harm in it. Sure."

Shizuru just started to hum as she continued to make lunch.

* * *

"Natsuki-chan! It's all white!" Shizuru said as she looked around in an excited manner. They were walking down the large city sidewalks in the winter clothes they bought not one full day ago. They both had heavy underclothes on but Shizuru also had a scarf and pair of mittens on.

"Shizuru. It's snow. You can't tell me you've never seen snow." Natsuki walked beside the childish candy store owner with her hands in her pocket and in her favorite slouching position.

"Yes, but I haven't seen it in over a year," Shizuru reasoned, smiling.

Natsuki just rolled her eyes, a small smile appearing on her features despite her 'annoyed' demeanor.

Shizuru looked over to Natsuki, "…"

Natsuki shivered slightly when she felt eyes on her, "What?" She said, uneasily.

"You're slouching."

"I always slouch."

"It's not good for Natsuki-chan's back."

"Neither is your clinging to me every night."

"…"

Natsuki turned her head forward and smiled victoriously… for a few seconds.

"Hup!"

Natsuki felt weight on her shoulders and back that wasn't there a second ago, she started to stumble forward, trying not to slip and fall into the slush underfoot, "W-What the?"

"There." A voice said from over Natsuki's head.

Natsuki looked up to see a beaming Shizuru hovering over her, her arms around Natsuki's neck as the dentist dragged her. She frowned, "Hell no."

"It'll help your back straighten," Shizuru informed.

"My back doesn't need straightening."

"My feet are tired," Shizuru tried.

"We've only been walking for twenty minutes."

"I want to be carried," Shizuru admitted.

Natsuki glared, "You can't always get what you want!"

_That's what __**you**__ think._ Shizuru smiled smugly. She wrapped her legs around Natsuki's waist.

"Get off!" Natsuki yelled, grabbing the unwanted attention of quite a few pass-byers.

"No."

"NOW."

"Nope."

"**OFF!**"

"Nu-uh."

"**GET OFF!!**"

"Na-da."

This went on for a quite a few minutes.

And of course Shizuru's still on Natsuki's back as Natsuki continued to walk silently.

"Ookini, Natsu—"

"Shut up."

Shizuru just giggled in response as Natsuki's hands supported her lower-thighs, getting a piggyback ride.

Takeda Masashi was walking down the road surrounded by a couple of large-built men in black suits and sunglasses. This, of course, got rid of the 'subtle' factor they were probably going for. He continued to look around, "She lives around here, eh?" Takeda continued to mutter to himself until he looked dead ahead. His eyes widened, _Pure beauty._

He cleared his throat and smoothed his hair back a bit before walking toward Natsuki and Shizuru with a practiced suave smile on his face, "Madam." She started, trying to get their attention.

"…" Natsuki looked up, her cool glare playing on her face as she slowly lowered Shizuru.

Shizuru looked up and gave a polite smile, "Hello." She said as Natsuki turned to the side slightly, not wanting to be in the conversation.

Too bad for her.

Takeda completely passed Shizuru as if she wasn't even there and went strait for the dentist, "Ma'am." He said.

"Hm?" She turned her head slightly, the scowl still on her features, but with a questioning eyebrow lifted.

_Okay, big man. You're in charge. Just like you rehearsed it._ He cleared his throat, "Heaven called and said they were missing an angel. Mind if I keep you down on Earth a little longer?" He flashed a toothy smile.

Natsuki's eye started to twitch. _So…_ Twitch. Twitch. _Cliché…_ Twitch. Twitch.

Shizuru's eyes widened as she continued to watch as the man tried to woo (in vain) Natsuki (to her obvious displeasure). Her fists clinched as her eyes narrowed. A jealous Shizuru is not a happy Shizuru.

"So how about it?" He flashed another toothy smile.

Natsuki's fists were clinched as well. Maybe not as tight as Shizuru's, but they were clenched nonetheless. She smashed him one in the jaw and watched him fall, "Get the drift?" She snapped, glaring at the two men that were hesitated under her glare to help their employer.

_A princess that doesn't need protection, but can fight along side her prince!_ Takeda smiled in his half-conscious state, on the ground, "I think I'm in love!"

That was it.

Natsuki started to crack her knuckles as she started to walk over, "Can't take a hint, can you?"

Before she could get more then halfway there, Shizuru intervened, grabbed Natsuki's hand in hers, and started to briskly walk away… But not without forcefully stepping on Takeda's crotch with her foot.

"Huh? Shizuru?" Natsuki blinked, caught off guard and stumbled to keep up with the fast candy store owner. She ignored the screams of agonizing pain come from behind them.

"…"

"And your brush _twice_ a day to get rid of that plaque, moron!" Natsuki called back to the man, trying to get a last word in. _Damnit, that was lame. Why did my dentist side have to pop up then and there?_

After a minute, Shizuru started to slow down until they were at a complete stop. "What's up, Shizuru?" Natsuki noticed how abnormally quiet Fujino was.

"…" Shizuru breathed in deeply, quietly, before turning her expression into her normal cheerful one and turning to Natsuki. "What's up with what?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.

Natsuki sighed, relieved nothing was (supposedly) wrong with her friend, "Thanks for helping me back there. I hate guys like that. They just walk up to you and spew that stupid pick-up line crap."

Shizuru's hand subconsciously squeezed Natsuki's when she said those words, "So that… happens often?"

"Not often, but it does happen once in a while." Natsuki looked down when her hands was squeezed and noticed they were still together. "Oh, sorry." She started to let go, and her hand was almost gone until Shizuru wrapped her pinky around Natsuki's.

Emerald eyes gave a questioning look to rust colored.

"Maybe Natsuki's pinky is cold," Shizuru said innocently.

Natsuki just rolled her eyes and continued to walk.

They walked a little more, but soon, Shizuru was looking at Natsuki's back, trailing behind a little, with their pinky's locked still. A sad expression was on her face. _My Natsuki-chan…At least for now… Let me dream a little while longer…Oba-sama…_

The Kyoto born shook her head before she looked straight at Natsuki's back.

"Hup!"

Natsuki felt the weight on her back and shoulders again, "Oh God, not this again." She grumbled.

"Yep! This again!" Shizuru said with a cheery disposition.

They walked for a little while longer until they came upon Shizuru's candy shop. Shizuru blinked, tilting her head, "Suzushiro-han? Kikukawa-han? What're you doing here?"

Haruka snorted as she started to turn to the easily identifiable accent, "Well, _someone_ wasn't here to make sure everything was okay so I decided to come down and —WHAT ARE YOU DOING ON THAT WOMAN'S BACK?!"

Natsuki frowned, "Nice to meet you too…" _This must be that loud-mouthed coworker Shizuru was talking about._

"Ara, this is Natsuki-chan. The friend I was talking about," Shizuru said with a smile.

"Hmmm…" Haruka studied Natsuki, making the dentist uneasy.

"Nice to meet you, Kuga-san," Yukino bowed, "I'm Kikukawa Yukino and this is my partner, Suzushiro Haruka."

"Nice to meet you too," Natsuki tried to bow back from habit, but stopped when something tightened around her neck and threatened to fall off, "Natsuki-chan! Don't flip me over!"

"Alright, alright!" Natsuki leaned back up, "So promise not to choke me to death!" She replied, her voice a little strained.

Shizuru relaxed and loosened her grip after a bit, letting the dentist breathe. All was well.

"Haruka-chan," Yukino said in her normal voice, grabbing the blonde's attention, "Shall we head inside?" She said, before unlocking the door. Haruka and herself walked in.

Natsuki started to follow, "Duck." She warned as she walked toward the front door.

"Where?!" Shizuru perked up, facing forward just in time to hit her forehead on the doorway.

"Shizuru!" Natsuki said as she felt an increase in weight, "Gah!" She placed the dizzy candy store owner down inside her own shop and closed the door. She then ran back over, "Shizuru! Are you okay?!"

"The lone variable indicates where on the graph the parabola's vertex will stand on the y-axis." Shizuru spewed gibberish.

"She's delusional!!" Natsuki shouted. So much for being calm in a bad situation. "Wait!" Natsuki came to a conclusion before she rummaged through Shizuru's purse, "I know she has some in here… Ah!" Natsuki pulled out a piece of taffy, "Candy!" She quickly took it out of the wrapper before opening Shizuru's mouth slightly and sticking it in. Natsuki anxiously watched for a couple of seconds.

Shizuru blinked a couple of times, "… Taffy!" She smiled before she continued to chew.

Natsuki let out a sigh of relief as she fell back onto her behind from her crouching position. A proud smile was spread across her face.

In the background, Yukino was speechless. Even the normally talkative Haruka was at a loss for words as they watched the unusual scene.

After a few more seconds, Haruka regained herself from her stupor and cleared her throat, getting the two women's attention, "Seeing as how you're all here, you can help us check everything with maintenances."

"But Natsuki-chan isn't a work —"

"Where do I start?" Natsuki said as she got up and started to remove her jacket.

"Natsuki-chan…?"

"Well, I'd feel bad if I left you guys to do all the work while I waited. Besides, it'll get done quicker with more people." Natsuki reasoned.

"Natsuki-chan…" A small, warm smile appeared on Shizuru's face.

"Good call, Kuga!" Haruka smirked, "I'm starting to like you already! You can start on those machines in there. They might need adjunctments." Haruka thumbed towards the door in the back, the actual factory.

"'Adjustments,' Haruka-chan…"

Natsuki nodded before Haruka and Yukino went to check on something else. She started to walk but paused at the door before turning around, "You comin'?" She asked to Shizuru.

"Hai," The Kyoto-born nodded as she walked toward Natsuki.

* * *

"Kuga, come here for a second," Haruka said, motioning her over with her head.

Natsuki frowned, "What?" She asked as soon as she arrived next to Suzushiro.

"Don't cheat on her loyalty."

"What?" Natsuki raised an eyebrow in confusion as she stood in front of the blonde. _Okay, is it just me or does this woman make no sense?_

"Fujino."

"What about her?"

"Don't cheat on her loyalty."

"What the hell is supposed to mean?" Natsuki's foot started to tap and she crossed her arms under her chest, becoming impatient.

Haruka growled slightly, "Your friendship! Friendship!" Haruka almost yelled, becoming equally impatient.

"Like hell I would do that! Who do you take me for?" Natsuki growled.

"I'm not saying you would! I'm just saying don't! Don't you listen?!" Haruka tried to calm herself down so she could actually construct a sentence, "I've known Fujino for years and it's safe to say that I know a thing or two about her." Purple eyes looked straight into green, "Fujino is a very loyal person. Once she finds something she likes, she clings to it."

_I wonder if this woman knows that can be literally interpreted._ Natsuki inwardly mused.

"But anyway, she can get easily devastated if something happens. I'm just saying that you better not cheat on her loyalty or I'll personally come to your house and kick your ass," Haruka said in a menacing manner, cracking her knuckles.

Natsuki's face grew serious, "If I do, I'll tie myself of a chair with a target sign painted on my torso." She replied.

Haruka looked into Natsuki's eyes to see if she was lying, and smiled at what she saw, "Ha! I'll keep you to your word." She sniffed good-humoredly, this time the tone of her voice being slightly softer… Slightly. She started to walk back the way she came, "I just hope for Fujino's sake that this kid doesn't turn out like that airhead's last relationship…" The blonde said, maybe slightly louder then she intended.

Natsuki smiled, "They must have a 'bond of true trust' in this shop." She said, admiring the atmosphere. Her eyes then widened slightly when she realized what Suzushiro muttered, _'Last relationship'…?_

* * *

"We're off," Shizuru smiled as she placed her scarf on.

"So long, Fujino-san," Yukino smiled her small smile.

"You better be here the next day we can come or else I'm taking your position as shop owner!" Haruka barked.

"Hai, hai…" Shizuru sighed, shaking her head as she walked toward the door.

"Oi!" Haruka called back out.

"Yes?" Shizuru turned as she reached the front door. "You have a good kid, this one's a keeper," The Suzushiro smiled.

Shizuru's smile brightened, "Hai!"

Poor Natsuki was left in the dark as she was dragged out the door.

Shizuru closed the door behind them and started to giggle as she walked down the street. The sun was down by now, they'd been working longer than they thought.

Natsuki was deep in thought as she walked next to the brunette. _Last relationship?… Of course she's had a last relationship!_ Natsuki said, nodding at her thoughts. _She's old enough and responsible (to an extent) and certainly capable and __**why does it seem like everyone is staring at her?! **_Emerald eyes glared around to see that, indeed, a lot of eyes were watching the airheaded candy store owner.

They continued to walk and a couple of more guys walked up, trying to acquaint themselves with the Kyoto-born, only to get ten feet close to her and scared off by the infamous '_Kuga Death Glare'_ (copyright Kuga Natsuki).

And so, the clueless Shizuru would watch guys come up close, smile politely at them, and watch them run away as if the plague was on their heels. _Sometimes, people can be so weird,_ she concluded. "Natsuki-chan?" She looked over to see a growling, lost-in-thought (glaring) dentist. "… Natsuki-chan?"

Natsuki was knocked out of her reverie, "Huh?"

"Why are you growling?"

"Uh… Don't you get ticked when people stare at you? It puts me on edge," Natsuki reasoned.

"Nah?" Shizuru tilted her head questioningly.

_You mean to tell me this woman doesn't notice?!_ Natsuki gawked. She then cleared her throat, "Nothing let's just go." She said as she continued to walk, a little bit faster now.

"Okay." Shizuru followed.

A few more minutes passed and the stares continued. Natsuki noticed one guy on a bike that was looking at the Kyoto beauty as if she was some piece of majestic art.

"…" _He's gonna ride right into that lamppost if he doesn't look ahea —_

Natsuki watched as the guy did exactly what she predicted. He slammed right into the post and toppled over into the street… where a car swerved out of the way on the icy road to dodge the fallen rider. The car in turn crashed into another one and they both skidded into a fire hydrant that burst open and spewed water at least twenty feet high. Alarms went off as cars down the road in both directions tried to avoid the crash on the slippery ice and pedestrians fled in different directions right across the road from where Shizuru and Natsuki were walking.

_**HOLY SHIT!!**_ Natsuki gapped at the scene in horror._** SHIZURU'S A WALKING DEATH-TRAP!!**_

Shizuru looked to the side, "Ara, what happened over there?" She asked, sincerely not having a clue. (She was daydreaming.)

_You, woman! __**YOU**__ happened!_ Natsuki screamed in her thoughts. She quickly shook her head before she grabbed Shizuru's wrist and started to run. _We have to get out of here!_

"N-Natsuki-chan?" Shizuru was bewildered by her actions as she stumbled, trying to keep up with the dentist. After a few minutes of running, Natsuki let go of her wrist and leaned over, panting. She watched her hot breath leave in puffs in the cold winter's night. "This should be far enough," She said quietly in labored breaths.

"Why… did we run… so much…?" Puffed Shizuru as she breathed in and out heavily.

"Good exercise," Natsuki said the first excuse that came to mind.

Shizuru whined.

"Someone that eats candy on a more-then-regular basis shouldn't be complaining," The noirette smirked as she leaned up.

"But Natsuki-chan," Shizuru huffed.

Natsuki just shrugged and looked down the way, "Hey, I think the park's around here." She turned around to see Shizuru inspecting a lamppost. She raised an eyebrow, "Shizuru?"

"You know that they say that a lamppost with frost on it can make your tongue stick. Is it true?"

"Psh," Natsuki rolled her eyes as she turned back to the direction of the park. "How would I know? No one would be airheaded enough to just go and —" Natsuki gasped as she turned around just to see a fretting Shizuru… with her tongue stuck to the lamppost. Natsuki face-palmed, "… I can't believe I jinxed it."

"Naski-tan!" Shizuru gripped the lamppost and looked at Natsuki with a panicked look in her eyes. "Elp!"

Natsuki sighed, shaking her head, then looked back up to Shizuru, "You're a real handful, you know?" She commented as she walked over.

Shizuru whined a bit as she gripped the pole and panted little puffs of air.

"Guh--!" Natsuki stopped in mid stride. _Her… Her position looks provocative…_

Yes, if you had a mind that every-so-often dipped into 'the gutter,' this might look like a turn on: Shizuru was gripping the lamppost with both her gloved hands, slightly pulling away from it as she tried to get her tongue off. Her panting created puffs of air that escaped her mouth while her deep red eyes held a desperate look.

Natsuki shook her head harshly before walking over and bending down as she shut her eyes tight. She brought her mouth close and started to breath on the spot where the tongue connected with the lamppost to make it warmer. Of course, the frost might melt quicker because of the amount of heat radiating off her flushed cheeks.

Shizuru's eyes widened slightly at how close Natsuki's face was and looked away bashfully, her own cheeks flushing a bit more than they already were in the cold, "…"

Finally, after a couple minutes, Shizuru's tongue was free and she leaned up and quickly brought her tongue into her mouth.

"Shizuru, promise me one thing."

"Nah?" Her voice was still a little awkward because she was still warming her tongue.

"Don't ever do that again."

Shizuru nodded and they started to walk once again, "Say Shizuru," Natsuki started.

"Yes?"

"Mind going to the park? I mean, kids usually aren't out this late and —"

"No, I wouldn't mind at all," Shizuru smiled back as they both headed off toward the city park.

* * *

"There's a new layer of snow!" Shizuru looked around with childish glee, "It must have snowed again while we were working." She looked at the park, "Ooh! The snow is on the playground too!" She started to run over with Natsuki walking behind her, hands in her jacket pockets.

Shizuru started to climb the slide's ladder, "I don't think I can remember the last time I was even on one of these." She giggled as she reached the top and sat down.

Natsuki walked to the end of the slide, "Well?" She said, expectantly.

"What?" Shizuru moved slightly so she could see Natsuki better.

"Come on down." Natsuki smiled up at Shizuru.

"You want me to slide down the children's slide?" She laughed.

"What?" Natsuki smirked slyly, "Scared?" She kneeled down at the end of the slide, "If you're that scared, I guess I _have_ catch you." She said, sighing overdramatically, holding out her arms as if to catch something.

Shizuru giggled before smiling slyly back, "Well, I can't be scared anymore if I know I'll be caught. Here I come!" She pushed herself down the slide and spun in the circles until she landed in Natsuki's arms, pushing them both onto the ground, laughing. Shizuru leaned up a bit, "Pfft! Natsuki-chan looks like she has a snow beard!" She laughed heartedly as Natsuki started to brush the snow off.

After the laughter subsided, Shizuru rolled off and started to move her arms and legs, "Snow angel." She explained as she continued.

Natsuki leaned up and watched, "You know, you're going to get a cold if you continue that. You should stop."

"Fine," Shizuru said as she continued, "But Natsuki-chan has to push me on the swings then."

"Hm?" Natsuki raised a brow.

"Swings. You know, people swing on swings." Shizuru said as she stopped moving her limbs and looked over at Natsuki with a happy-puppy expression.

"Fine, fine... The things I get myself into." She got up and started to brush the snow off.

"Help me up," Shizuru lifted her hands Natsuki with an innocent smile on her face.

Natsuki frowned in return, "Get off your own lazy bum." As Natsuki tried to walk away, Shizuru grabbed her leg, "Help me up…" Shizuru said, as if in a trance.

"Get off!"

"No."

"Argh! Fine!" Natsuki pulled Shizuru up, almost yanking her off her feet. Shizuru just smiled and took Natsuki's hand in hers and dragged her toward the swings before she could say anything about it. She sat down, "Now push!" She lifted her legs.

Natsuki frowned, "Yes, _your highness_." She started to push.

"…" Shizuru pouted, "I thought Natsuki-chan was stronger then this. I'm barely moving."

"What?!" Natsuki almost yelled. That hit a nerve. "I'll have you know I'm pretty damn strong!"

"Well, you certainly aren't proving it," Shizuru stated, matter-of-factly.

"I'll show you," Natsuki growled as she grabbed the chain harshly and backed up as far as she could before running forward and letting go of the chain when she passed under Shizuru.

Ah, manipulation. Shizuru wouldn't be Shizuru without it.

"How about now?" Natsuki puffed out her chest in pride.

"Hai, hai," Shizuru just giggled as she swung back and forth on the seat for a good ten or so minutes, conversing with the dentist.

* * *

They sat down on the bench after they brushed the snow off of it and looked out to the park, "So, how long do you think it's been since the last time you've done that?"

"Well, it was a very long time ago. I can't remember when exactly. Only one memory comes to mind."

"Heh, you sound old," Natsuki smirked as she looked out to the snow-covered trees and land before them. It really did look like a Winter Wonderland… city edition.

"How rude!" Shizuru pushed Natsuki lightly in the arm, "Is Natsuki-chan calling me old? You're only as old as you feel!"

"This is coming from a person who couldn't get off their butt twenty minutes ago."

"I didn't say I _couldn't_. In fact, I didn't say anything at all." Shizuru said, trying to justify herself.

"Huh," They sat in a comfortable silence until the wind blew a gusty breeze, "Brr…" Natsuki rubbed her arms, "Getting pretty cold." She looked over and spotted a warm-drink vender conveniently nearby. "Hey, I'll get us a couple things, alright?" She smiled as Shizuru nodded. She got up and made her way over, a Cheshire Cat smirk on her face.

She came back with two plastic cups in her hands and gently sat down so she wouldn't spill anything. "I have coffee." Natsuki said, raising her right arm slightly to show which one was hers.

"What kind of coffee did you get me? Hopefully with sugar and creamer, correct?" Shizuru had a small, expecting smile on her face.

"I got you tea."

"… What?" Shizuru blink, "I must have not heard you correctly. Could you repeat?"

"I said, I got you… tea. _Green_ tea." Natsuki smirked broadly.

_She planned this…_ Shizuru reluctantly look away from the tea, "I-I don't want it."

Natsuki smiled as she moved it near Shizuru's face, wafting it slightly, "But don't you _like_ green tea? You seemed to really _enjoy_ it. And it's right here, up for grabs, just for you." She smirked as she saw Shizuru's expression change from determined to soft and dreamy-eyed.

Shizuru frowned, "I'll take the cup -- but only so you have a free hand!" She quickly added as she took the cup a bit too eagerly.

Natsuki smiled as she looked at a stiff Shizuru, "Gonna drink?"

"…" Shizuru's eyes traveled back and forth between the cup and straight ahead. She took a deep, calming breath before turning to Natsuki, "Natsuki-chan, it was very thoughtful of you to get me a drink when you yourself were the one that was colder, I respect and am thankful for — Oh my God! Is that a dingo?!" Shizuru said loudly as she pointed toward the nearby trees to the right of them.

"Huh? Dingo?" Natsuki looked over.

Shizuru looked in the opposite direction and started to chug down the large cup of scolding hot tea like there was no tomorrow; not even pausing to take a breath. An expression of pure bliss and relaxation washed over her face as she continued.

Natsuki was lost in thought. _She said she saw a dingo over there, but I don't see any. Wait, this is the dead of winter. Wait! This isn't even Australia! Did she mean 'dog'?_

Shizuru finished and quickly chucked the cup as far as she could before turning back just in time, "Hey, Shizuru, did you mean 'dog'?"

"Nah? Y-Yes, I meant dog. But it kind of, sort of, ran away when you turned. Yeah, ran off…" Shizuru's voice trailed off in a dazed state-of-mind.

"Aw, missed it," Natsuki frowned, disappointed. "What kinda dog was it?"

"The-the big kind?"

"Oh… okay…"

This time the silence wasn't so comfortable.

After Natsuki finished her coffee and threw the plastic cup away, and Shizuru came up with some excuse for 'loosing' hers, Natsuki's bare hands started to become cold. She started to rub them together and blow on them, "…"

"…" Shizuru watched on until she got an idea. Her smile brightened as she took off one of her own gloves and reached over the noirette and grabbed her right hand. She placed the glove on that hand and then grabbed Natsuki's left hand with her own right. She moved close to the dentist so their legs were touching (making Natsuki a bit uneasy) and placed their hands on the outside of their thighs.

Now their hands were in between the outside of Natsuki's left thigh and the outside of Shizuru's right thigh, placed there to gather warmth. "There!" Shizuru said cheerfully and she leaned onto Natsuki's shoulder.

"Wha-wha-what?" Natsuki stammered, uneasy.

"This way, we'll both be warm."

"…" Natsuki tried to calm down, and after a few moments of silence, she did. A small smile spread across her face, "Shizu —" She cut herself off when she saw what was going on: Shizuru was sleeping on her shoulder. _… __I'll let her sleep a little bit longer._ "Honestly, you'll catch a cold if you sleep outdoors in the cold and snow."

As promised, Natsuki let Shizuru sleep longer. In fact, she let her sleep the entire way home as she carried the candy store owner on her back the whole way.

* * *

**Next Day:**

"Did I, or did I not tell you that you would catch a cold if you slept in the cold and snow."

"Kannin na, Natsuki-chan… Achoo!" Shizuru sniffled as she lay in bed, her cheeks and nose were red and she had a tired expression on her face. Shizuru was sick.

* * *

A little insight on what's to come in the next chapter. XD Oh, and unfortunately, Takeda will be re-appearing in this fanfic. What? Don't give me that look! There _is_ a reason he has body-guards (bad ones at that, but still.)

**Omake:**

**Shizuru**: How rude! -standing in the bedroom with Natsuki, pouting- Is Natsuki-chan calling me old? -playing around-

**Natsuki**: Heh, well, you _are_ a year older than me.

**Shizuru**: ... -starts pushing Natsuki towards the door- I don't find mid-twenties to be old.

**Readers**: We _finally_, learn their age range! God, took you long enough to tell us, Demon!

**Natsuki**: Hey! Hey! I said older, old-_er_! Why are you pushing?!

**Shizuru**: -pushes Natsuki out the door and closes it- Natsuki-chan sleeps on the couch tonight.

**Natsuki**: What?! Open the door, Shizuru!

**Shizuru**: -the sound of a door locking- Couch.

**Natsuki**: This is _my_ apartment and _my_ bedroom! You can't lock me out of my own bedroom!

**Shizuru**: I can and I just did. Night-night.

**Natsuki**: Wait! Shizuru!... Argh.

**Demon**: You sound like a bickering married couple.

**Natsuki**: Whoa! -jumps, surprised- How did you get in my house?!

**Demon**: I'm the author. I can bend reality to my own will and purposes.

**Natsuki**: Great. Can you do something about this door? -thumbs to the locked door-

**Demon**: Sure. -walks over, but pauses as she feels an ominous presence behind the door- o-o;;; I fear for my life. -starts to walk away-

**Natsuki**: Oi! What about this door?! Get back here!

**Shizuru**: -from behind the door- **COUCH.**

**Natsuki**: -slinks towards the couch, muttering- Yes, ma'am...


	8. Sick

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Mai Hime.

Ehehe... I have absolutely no excuse.

New chapter's up, basically nothing interesting/funny happening again. XP Actually, I'd had a lot of this done for a long while now, and finally finished it. It was originally going to be longer, but I split the chapter in half so I could post this one now. I'm probably going to work on past chapters now, correcting/proof-reading them.

Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving everyone! (If you celebrate it, that is. XP;; )

**krugern**: Shizuru and Natsuki's past will come up in about three more chapters if I don't split any more up. XP

**tsuko-chan**: I'll elaborate eventually. You'll just have to wait to see who it is then. X3

**EX-EmO**: They come from meh psycho brainz! D: XD

**shamanic demonator**: -sighs- Switch! won't be updated for a while.

**jquackers**: She's not only in this one, but the next one as well. X3

**lightbringer70**: Yep, Natsuki definitely is the slow one, isn't she? XD

* * *

"Can't you stay home with me?" The candy store own asked as she started to lean up, her face still flushed from the cold. She looked desperately into green eyes as she asked.

"No, I actually have to work and make up for the time I missed yesterday. Most of the snow has melted so we can go back to work," She frowned slightly as she pushed the brunette back down into the bed, "And get some rest."

Shizuru leaned back up, "I'm fine!"

"No, you're sick!" Natsuki enforced as she pushed the older woman back down.

"Fine! I'll just make you sick with me!" Shizuru grabbed Natsuki's hand and started to cough into it.

"Ew, stop!" Natsuki said in disgust as she yanked her hand back and whipped it on her pants.

Shizuru continued to pout, looking right at her.

Kuga rolled her eyes, "Look, call up your co-workers and tell them you're sick, then get some rest. Please, Shizuru, I'm asking you."

The candy store owner looked up into solemn green eyes and finally gave in, "Okay… But!" She frowned, "You have to promise to come home as soon as you can."

"Yes, yes. I will."

Shizuru smiled as she stood up and got out of bed.

"What did I _just_ get through saying?!" Natsuki growled.

"I can at least have breakfast, can't I?"

Natsuki grumbled to herself a bit before huffing, "Do as you like."

"Okay!"

With that, Natsuki, once again, felt a familiar weight on her back, "O-oi! Get the hell off!" She said as she tried to push the brunette off.

"But you said 'do as you like' and I like jumping on Natsuki-chan's back," Shizuru reasoned, not showing any signs of getting off the dentist.

"Yeah, well Natsuki-chan's back doesn't like to be jumped on! Ever think of that?!" Natsuki asked through gritted teeth.

"I'll just have to make it up to Natsuki-chan's back later, won't I?" Shizuru chimed happily as she clung tighter.

"Off!"

"Carry me."

"Are you even listening to me?"

"Nope."

"Ah-ha!" Natsuki smirked triumphantly as she looked over her shoulder to the candy store owner, "You answered so that means you were listening!"

"Ara?" Shizuru tilted her head to the side with a questioning gaze.

"Don't give me that 'ara' crap! I know you were listening!"

"Ara-ra?" Shizuru tilted her head to the other side.

"… I hate you." Natsuki glared straight forward as she carried Fujino toward the couch in the living room.

"And I forgive Natsuki-chan for yelling at me." Shizuru smiled victoriously as she leaned her chin down on Natsuki's shoulder, being carried toward their destination.

"I really, _really_ hate you," Natsuki growled out, walking up to the couch and dumping the candy store owner onto the green seat.

"You don't mean that," Shizuru smiled brightly, grabbing a throw pillow and hugging it to her body as she sat Indian-style on the couch.

Green eyes were rolled as Natsuki turned to the brunette, "What would you like to eat for breakfast?"

Shizuru thought long and hard, as was evident on her face, "… Lasagna."

"'Lasagna'?!" Natsuki said, looking exasperated. "I said 'breakfast'! That's not breakfast food!"

Shizuru pouted sadly, "But Natsuki-chan asked what I wanted to eat. I feel like eating lasagna right now."

"Gah!" Natsuki's eye twitched at the sight of Shizuru's pouting face. _Must… not… give in!_ "You're having cereal!" Natsuki said in a rush, walking quickly into the kitchen.

Shizuru pouted until Natsuki left the room. Her face turned into a slight frown, "Tch." _Almost had her…_

* * *

The two sat in the living room, watching Elmo's World in Japanese because cartoons seemed to be the only thing on this early. Elmo was currently watching the 'dancing channel: all dancing, all the time'. Of course, the two inhabitants on the couch could care less what was happening on the TV and were more preoccupied with their own thoughts.

Natsuki chuckled slightly out of nowhere, causing Shizuru to become curious. The red-eyed woman looked over, her gaze questioning. She lifted another spoonful of cereal toward her mouth.

"Hm?" Natsuki looked over to see Fujino looking at her. "Oh," She smiled, "I was just remembering that the words 'low fat, and diet-approved' were on the new cereal box." She mused, chuckling slightly.

Shizuru on the other hand, stopped in mid-bite of her food, her face becoming dark.

Natsuki stopped chuckling and raised an eyebrow at Shizuru's odd behavior, "What?"

Shizuru slowly swallowed and levelly lowered her spoon before turning to Kuga, "Is Natsuki-chan trying to tell me something?"

"Huh?" Natsuki blinked, clearly confused.

"Is Natsuki-chan specifically pointing out the 'low-fat and diet-approved' label to tell me something?"

Natsuki frowned, "What're you talking about?"

"Is Natsuki-chan trying to call me fat?"

"What?!" Natsuki looked bewildered. "How'd you come to that conclusion?"

"You aren't denying it!" Fujino exclaimed.

"Yes I am!"

"Not until I pointed it out!" Shizuru glared. "Did Natsuki-chan ever think that perhaps I bought that not because it was low-fat but because it was on sale?"

"Who cares what food you buy?!"

Shizuru gasped, "I buy that out of the goodness of my heart you don't even care?!"

"It's _CEREAL_!" Natsuki yelled back.

Shizuru glared before yanking Natsuki bowl out of her hand and started to eat the cereal straight from the bowl.

Natsuki mouth gapped as she watched the brunette chug her breakfast down without taking a breath, "Oi! That's my cereal!"

Fujino finished, a milk mustache on her face as she glared at the dentist (which kinda has a counter effect of 'looking menacing' if you think about it), "You don't appreciate what I buy so why should you get any?"

Natsuki glared back and took Shizuru bowl off the brunette's lap and started to eat hers.

"My breakfast!" The candy store owner's eyes widened.

"You had mine so I'm having yours!"

Shizuru's red-eyed glare intensified, "_Out_!" She uncharacteristically bellowed, pointing toward the front door.

"What?!" Natsuki glared back, "This is my home! You can't kick me out of _my_ home!"

------------------

Ten minutes later, Natsuki grumbled while in her car, driving toward work, "Stupid woman with her stupid sensitivity and her stupid cereal…" She'd been kicked out of her home.

* * *

"_Can you believe it? Then she said 'It's _CREAL_!' and totally blew off the fact that I bought it with _my_ money for _her_ house!_" Shizuru's voice came rapid-pace from the other side of the phone.

"Fujino-san," Yukino had the phone to her ear, plugging her other ear so the machinery didn't drown out her boss's voice. "I understand you're sick and can't come in, but I don't understand how Kuga-san arguing with you about cereal has any relation to this fact?"

"_Quiet, Kikukawa-san, or else you'll be the one test-trying the Mayo Drops in place of Tate-kun._"

Yukino narrowed her eyes in disgust. She looked over to see Tate's not-so-wonderful-looking expression, hovering over a nearby trashcan, "Carry on, Fujino-san."

"_I thought so, anyway…_"

Yukino inwardly sighed as she continued to her boss's ramblings.

"Yukino!" A booming voice came from the other side of the machinery, "Where are you?!"

Kikukawa cupped the receiver as she called back over, "Over here, Haruka-chan!" She said.

Sure enough, the blonde came stomping over, looking cross, "What're you doing on the phone?! And where's the bubuzuke woman?!"

Yukino pointed to the phone, "Fujino-san says she can't come in because she's sick with a cold."

"It took you that long to find that out?!" Purple eyes narrowed.

Yukino signed on the outside this time, "No, she's jut complaining like a newly wedded couple that just got into a fight."

"_FUJINO'S MARRIED?!_" Haruka exclaimed loudly, catching the attention of the two other workers. "Why wasn't I invited to the webbing?!"

'_Wedding,' Haruka-chan…_ Yukino mentally corrected. "No, she didn't. Er," The brunette gave a small smile, figuring it was just best if she didn't explain, "I'll be done here when Fujino-san's done… _conversing_ about her current life." She explained.

The blonde raised an eyebrow questioning before huffing, "Whatever. But get back to work after you're done. We have to all work double time if she can't come in. Kanzaki! Take the register!"

Reito nodded as he walked to the front of the store where costumers were waiting.

"Eh?!" Tate blinked, "_All_ of us have to work double?"

"Yes!" Haruka enforced. "Stuff two into your mouth at a time!"

Tate started to gag at the thought of two of those Devil Drops, er, _Mayo_ Drops in his mouth at the same time.

* * *

Nao was hysterically laughing, clutching her side as she tried –in vain- not to cry tears of laughter, "You got kicked out your own home!"

"She was throwing your own stuff at you until you got out?" Mai questioned. Was this really the same airheaded Fujino Shizuru she heard about every morning?

"Yes!" Natsuki exclaimed, still huffing and ranting about that morning. The patients in the waiting room had long ago gone silent as they listened into the dentist's newest household drama unfold before their ears.

"Geez, Kuga," Yuuki had finally stopped laughter and was whipping her eyes from tears, "And here I thought it'd be you wearing the pants in the relationship," She teased.

Natsuki blinked, "What relationship?"

Nao gave a 'you're kidding me' look, "You can be _really_ dense sometimes, mutt."

Kuga glared, offended, "About what, huh?!" She just got out yelling with Shizuru; she did feel like taking any crap from Nao.

"Everything," Nao replied matter-of-factly. _You claim to have no relationship, yet she sleeps in the same bed as you, does the house chores and you just had your first argument like a newly married couple… How can than __**not**__ be considered a relationship?_

Natsuki opened her mouth to shoot back and answer, but Mai intervened just in time, "Natsuki." The noirette turned to her as Tokiha continued, "Have you tried talking to her about it?"

"I'm at work," Natsuki frowned.

"Like, try explaining over your cell phone."

"I would, but she probably won't listen." Kuga's frown furrowed, "Why're women so complicated?!"

Nao and Mai watched Natsuki huffed and start another rant about woman being complicated to deal and talk with. _She fails to realize that she herself is a woman…_

"Natsuki, wait," She said, cutting off the other dentist's rant in mid-sentence, "I have a feeling you're over-thinking things."

"Oh?" Natsuki's patients was wearing thin, as was shown in her body language and tone of voice.

"Yes. First of all, have you ever dealt with anything like this?"

"No, I usually leave it to you because you're good at this sort of thing."

Purple eyes frowned, "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Apparently, Natsuki didn't get the sarcasm behind the redhead's words. Either that or she ignored it.

"In any case, I think it's an experience-and-learn type of situation."

Natsuki's eyebrow slowly rose questioningly.

Mai continued, "Women are delicate when it comes to words. You may be trying to compliment them, but if they don't get what you're try to say is a compliment, they might get insulted. For example, this morning's incident."

_Now it's an 'incident'?_ Natsuki blinked, crossing her arms under her chest and leaning against a wall. She had a feeling this might take a while.

"You merely pointed out the humor of the packaging. She thought you were trying to hint at calling her fat."

"But I wasn't even—"

Mai raised her hand and made a commanding noise, quickly subduing Natsuki to silent fuming, before she continued.

Nao looked back and forth between Mai and the obedient dog, _How does Mai do that?... _Green eyes then looked over to Mikoto, who was preoccupying herself with one of the mouth-mirrors. _Oh. She must have practice._

"Yes, I know you didn't mean it that way, but she thought you did."

"How am I suppose to tell her that I didn't though?" Natsuki asked, looking stressed out by the whole ordeal.

"Simple: tell her," Mai smiled knowingly.

"But I told you earlier that she won't listen!"

"That was before, this is now. She's had a little time to vent her anger on something (which I know she probably has) and think about the whole ordeal. She's calmed down now and might listen to you if you're sincere about being sorry. Another thing about woman: if you're willing to talk, they're willing to listen. But you _have_ to be _sincere_," Mai smiled, watching Natsuki soaking all this in.

"And, what if she still doesn't listen?" Natsuki asked, almost curiously.

Mai frowned in contemplation when she first couldn't come up with an answer. She then looked at the older dentist and gave a helpless smile, shrugging, "It never hurts to buy her something?"

* * *

Natsuki opened the door to her home and sighed, closing it behind herself, "I'm home." She announced, placing the bag on the nearby table and taking off her coat. She slung the coat on a nearby chair and took the contents out of the bag she brought home: a package of donuts.

She walked around the small apartment, looking for the candy store owner and finally found her laying on the couch in the living room. She seemed to have made a nest of items around her, mostly food, telling Natsuki that Shizuru had decided to spent her time resting in front of the television. "Hey, Shizuru." She tried.

The head slowly turned toward the dentist, flushed cheeks and all, red eyes glaring straight at Natsuki.

Green quickly looked away, not being able to stand the intensity of the glare. _She's still angry…_ Natsuki cleared her throat, inwardly chiding herself for looking away. She then frowned, taking away her hand and looking at the brunette fiercely, "Shizuru." She started, a little more strongly than she would have liked.

Red eyes widened slightly, the determined look on Natsuki's face catching her off-guard.

"I'm sorry, Shizuru. I really am," Natsuki continued. "I didn't mean to insult you or anything, I was just surprised to see a new box in the cabinet, that's all. I appreciate you buying the food and I'm sorry if my remark offended you. Will you forgive me?" She smiled genuinely.

The glare had all but diminished into a mere pout during the course of Natsuki's heart-felt apology. The pout clued Natsuki that Shizuru was wavering.

"I bought donuts too?" Natsuki added lamely, give a lopsided grin as she held out the freshly baked, assorted donuts.

Shizuru leaned up and smiled brightly at the sight of the donuts, slowly getting up and walking over to Natsuki to get a better look, "Glazed and icing-topped! Natsuki-chan knows me too well!" Shizuru giggled.

"Or not well enough," Natsuki sighed, shrugging.

"That's okay, Natsuki-chan has all the time in the world to learn," Shizuru smiled, then looked thoughtful, "Or at least until we die…"

Natsuki laughed, "Then I guess I better start now, then, huh?"

Shizuru looked back down at the dentist, her eyes almost _glowing_ with happiness, "Thank you, Natsuki-chan." She went past the outstretched donuts and hugged the raven-haired woman. "Natsuki-chan is forgiven." She said, holding her house-mate close.

"Thanks," Natsuki replied, hugging the candy store owner around the waist with her free arm.

They stood like that for a minute or two, Shizuru sighing contently as she breathed in Kuga's scent. She then smirked mischievously as she came up with a little plan. She lowered her head slightly until she was in the crook of Natsuki's neck. She then started to nuzzle her nose against said dentists' neck affectionately.

"H-Hey! Stop! That tickles!" Natsuki said, trying her best not to laugh as she squirmed under the affectionate action. She had no idea how close the two would look if someone were to walk in right then and there.

And thus Shizuru had wormed a little more past Natsuki's 'personal bubble space' and little more closer to her heart.

"But seriously Shizuru, you want to eat the donuts now or not?"

Fujino leaned back and smiled, nodding her head.

"Then why don't you take them into the kitchen and we can have some coffee with them."

Right then, the doorbell rang.

Natsuki blinked, looking toward the door. _Who could that be?_ She turned back to the Kyoto-born, "I'll get the door."

Shizuru nodded, "Okay. Then I'll start on making some coffee." She said, taking the box of donuts and walking toward the kitchen.

"And no more than one better not be missing by the time I get back," Natsuki said, smiling as she heard a grumbled 'darn…'. She was in high spirits as she walked to the door and put her hand on the handle.

She then paused as her sixth sense kicked in, _Why do I get the feeling that it would be better off if I just don't answer and act like Shizuru and I aren't home?..._ She then shrugged and turned the handle, opening the door against her better judgement.

Good feeling gone.

Natsuki frowned, "What're you all doing here?"

Nao smirked, "Hiya, mutt! Up for some karaoke?" Outside with Nao was Mai, Mikoto, Haruka and Yukino, all carrying something and looking like they were going to a college party.

Natsuki blinked, her frown never leaving her face as she stared at the scene outside her front door. _The hell?...

* * *

_

XP Cliffhanger.

**Omake**:

**Demon**: Oi. Everyone probably hates me now.

**Natsuki**: With good reason.

**Demon**: You're no comfort. -.-

**Natsuki**: -shrugs- Not my kind of thing.

**Demon**: -.- Jerk. -looks around before running toward Mai and glomping her- Mai! T-T

**Mai**: Eh?!? -confused- What's wrong?

**Demon**: Everyone hates me! -whining-

**Mai**: -sighs- There, there. -comforting Demon-

**Mikoto**: -eying Demon-

**Demon**: Er... I-I think I'm done now.

**Mai**: Really?

**Demon**: -getting a bad feeling- Y-yeah... -back away-

**Shizuru**: But it's honestly about time, don't you think?

**Demon**: XP I just got another chapter in, didn't I?

**Nao**: -huffs- 'Bout bloody time.

**Demon**: -emo- Everyone hates me. -sobbing in a corner-_  
_


	9. Hungry Like the Wolf

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Mai Hime or any of the songs sung by the Mai Hime characters in this chapter.

Hah... Been a while since I updated anything but I finally got in the mood write, so here it is! :3 I hope this chapter was worth the wait.

And the songs that were selected were selected to either be funny, be embarrassing to sing, or fit the story's mood as a whole. I highly suggest you listen to them all. :3 Who knows? You might burst out laughing imagining someone singing the song and getting into it. XD

Oh! And I re-edited chapters one through four. They shouldn't suck so bad anymore. XP;; I'll continue to re-edit the rest soon enough.

As for an update about me, I'm currently sick. XP I hate being sick.

Not much else left to say at midnight, so I'll just get to replying to comments. (So many! XO -dies of happiness-)

**kleines-Ich-bin-Ich**: :3 -gives a politely blank stare- I have no idea what that means, sorry.

**catco (anon.)**: XD Yes, they always must. It makes things more interesting. ;D And thank you for complimenting my writing!

**Lucrecia Almasy**: Fufufu... Patients is a virtue. ;3

**moogle (anon.)**: I'm sorreh. -hands a donut-

**pri815**: LOL! "natsuki getting kicked out for indirectly calling shizuru fat by accident" Best. Description. Ever. I actually burst out in laughter when I read this. XDD

**Jyuami**: Yay! A long review! I love reading those! -ahem- I mean.. yeah, anyway. Thank you for reading this story! I love when people compliment my work because then I doesn't feel like I've typed this up for just myself. XD;; Well, she had to do _something_ for Natsuki in return, why not combined her hobby with one of Natsuki's loves? :3 Yeah, the characters will have little things here and there, but nothing major. Sorry. XP Here's the next chapter.

**WolfNightwind**: o-o; Do you forgive me now? -shifty eyes before she pokes- You should update 'Night of the Wolf' soon. o-o;

**RevalisPyross**: Hey! It's you! I'm a big fan of 'The Devil's Throne' and I'm re-reading it for what seems like the millionth time. (No, really. It's currently on another tab on my browser. Chapter six... God, I'm a dork. -sulk-) _Anyway_! Thank you for complimenting my work; I'm glad it made you laugh. :3 (o-o; Although laughing your butt off sounds pretty painful. (Joke! :P)) About the extended omake, I was thinking about taking it down until the end and then putting up together and one whole piece in the end. It's kinda disrupting the flow of the story a bit. XP;; And about the mistakes, I'm slowly but surely correcting them from the previous chapters (I already proof-read this one.) I hope you enjoy this chapter too!

**kikyo4ever**: Well, Shizuru's background will come in a couple/few chapers, so just hang in there.

_

* * *

People randomly on my doorstep. Now where have I seen this scene before? Oh yeah._ Natsuki glared dully at the redhead before here, "What're you doing here?" She repeated.

"Well, you told us this morning that Fujino wasn't feeling to well, so we wanted to come and cheer her up," Mai answered, holding the plastic handle on top of the box she was carrying with both hands.

"Yeah so move out of the way so I can finally place this beer down. My fingers are getting numb." Nao smirked, trying to push past the black-haired woman.

"Oh no you don't," Natsuki said, holding the door closer to her body. She began to push Yuuki back with one hand. "You come up here with a karaoke machine, drinks and a video camera and except me to believe you're here to just 'cheer her up'?"

Nao glared as she started to push harder, "We're doing this out of the kindness of our hearts, now step aside! It's fucking freezing out here!"

"'Kindness of our hearts', my ass! The only kindness that ever comes from you is when I need money, but even then I usually have to pay it back double _with_ interest! Get out of here and get a heavier coat while you're at it if you're damn so cold!" Both their tones of voice were rising as the argument continued.

"But we brought booze, Natsuki!" The apprentice cheered, a wide smile coming from the face behind the video camera. "Please?" Mikoto continued.

Of course, this just pissed Kuga off even more. "She's sick, not turning twenty-one, now get off my porch!" She noticed the other two others standing a little farther away. "Suzushiro-san and Kikukawa-san?"

Haruka coughed into her fist, "Well, we heard Fujino was sick so we came over to check up on her."

"We want to make sure she's okay," The brunette with glasses smiled softly.

Kuga narrowed her eyes. _So she says while carrying a giant bag of candy…_

"I smell candy~!" A singsong voice came from behind Natsuki, causing the head dentist to sigh. _Of course_ she_ would be able to smell the candy. Freakin' bloodhound…_

"Ara! Everyone!" Shizuru's face appeared from above Natsuki's shoulder, resting her chin on said shoulder for a little bit as she wrapped her arms around the noirette's waist. "What're you all doing here?"

"We came to check up on you," Yukino said.

"Oh, well then, please come in." Shizuru back away from Natsuki's body and bowed slightly. She pulled Natsuki into her after she leaned back up, causing Nao to stumble into the small apartment. Luckily, the redhead caught herself before she fell. The others followed in soon after.

"Oi!" Green eyes glared up into red. "You can't just invite them into my home!"

"You're right," Shizuru said, smiling. "So I invited them into _my_ home."

Natsuki blinked, trying to process what Shizuru was saying, before furrowing her eyebrows. "This isn't your home!"

"Of course it is. I live here."

"No you don't!"

"Yes I do. I live here so this is my home. You just happen to own the apartment and pay the rent."

Natsuki's teeth started to grit together. "Maybe I should split half the rent with you then," She growled out.

"You can't. That would be going against the promise we made."

_Promise?_ Kuga frowned thoughtfully. _Oh yeah._ _That one with her staying here as long as she makes me candy. I completely forgot about that._

"So in the end, I win. This _house_ may be yours, but this _home_ is mine!" Shizuru said triumphantly, finally letting go of Natsuki as she walked toward the living room where the others were.

"What?" Natsuki said, getting knocked out of her reverie before realizing what the candy store owner said. "Wait! No it's not!" She stormed into the living room to find another topic had already started.

"So, Fujino, are you honestly sick?" Nao asked, an eyebrow raised. "Last time I checked, sick people weren't ever this energetic. You're just as chipper as the last time I saw you."

Haruka snorted in amusement, "She never seems to loose her energy no matter what. She's like the energizer bunny."

"The last time she was sick, we could only tell by her nasally voice and her cheeks being red like they are now," Yukino explained.

"Speaking of the last time we met," Mai piped in. "The first, and only, time I've seen you was at the grocery store and you were crying. If I may ask, if it's not too touchy a subject, what happened? I've been curious for a while." Tokiha said, addressing the Kyoto-born.

Both Shizuru and Natsuki looked at each other for a bit before Kuga decided to answer. "I wasn't use to Shizuru's… antics back then, so I just kinda let all my frustration out on Mai and Shizuru overheard."

Nao smirked, "What do you mean you weren't use to them 'back then'? You can't be use to them now because you were complaining about them earlier today."

Red eyes turned to give Natsuki an annoyed 'oh really?' look, causing Natsuki to look away from the intensity of them. _Damn you, Nao._ The dentist cursed her receptionist.

"In any case," Tokiha said, grabbing everyone's attention. "How did you two make up?"

Shizuru turned back to the group, her glare gone. (Natsuki let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.) "Oh, well Natsuki-chan just gave me a boy so it's okay."

The five guests blinked. '_A boy?_' They thought collectively.

_Oh, she must be talking about Duran._ "It's nothing guys. Really, it's nothing." Natsuki waved it off dismissively.

Shizuru gave Natsuki a devastated look. "How can you call our one and only child 'nothing'?!"

The others in the group gapped. "'Child'?!" Haruka shouted.

"You had a child?!" Yukino adjusted her glasses after they'd slipped down the bridge of her nose.

Nao was laughing, "Way to go, Kuga!" She said, going along with it.

Mai blinked, confused, "How would that even be possible?"

"Maybe Natsuki's really a boy?" Mikoto asked, munching on a donut she found earlier in the kitchen. She was still recording the whole conversation.

"I am _not_ a guy!" Natsuki yelled over everyone else. She turned her glare to Fujino, "Don't go saying random nonsense."

Shizuru looked away, abashed, a hand placed upon one of her cheeks. "So Natsuki-chan doesn't remember those hot and steamy nights?"

"No I don't because there weren't ever any!" Natsuki countered, her cheeks flushed. She took a deep breath and tried to calm down. "Besides, you've only been living here for how many weeks? One? Two? How could you have a kid in that short a time period?" She watched, a small smirk on her face as Shizuru went into contemplation. _Ha, I'd like to see her come up with something to counter tha—_

Shizuru raised her hands to the Heavens, "A miracle from God!"

"Don't even!" Natsuki yelled, frustrated. She sighed deeply and turned back to the others, "I bought her a stuffed animal and she named it 'Duran'. Now she claims it's our kid."

There was an assortment of 'oh's from the group, as if Natsuki's explanation was the most normal thing in the world. (Well, this _was_ Fujino they were talking about.)

Shizuru moved next to Natsuki and hugged her close, giggling, "Natsuki-chan's so fun to mess with. Forgive me?"

Natsuki frowned, "Do I have a choice?"

"Nope!"

"Thought as much."

"It looks like you're doing fine though, Fujino-san," Yukino smiled, changing the subject.

"Yes, she is. So now that you've all checked up on her, you can all leave," Natsuki, not out of Shizuru's grasp, made a 'shoo'-ing motion with her hands in the door's direction.

"No, it means we can karaoke!" Mai cheered before she quickly got off her seat to the box she brought into the living room. "Come on, Mikoto! Help me set up!"

"Okay!" The apprentice replied, stuffing the rest of the food she got into her mouth and placing the still-recording camera down on the coffee table so she could have her hands free.

Natsuki frowned, _So Mai just really wanted an excuse to karaoke… Hm?_ Something caught her attention, "American songs?" She asked, reading the side of the blue box.

Mai gave an apologetic smile as she looked up from her assembling work, "It was all I could find on such short notice."

Natsuki's frown furrowed. _Mai, you just practically admitted all you came over here for was the singing…_

Meanwhile, Shizuru was having a conversation with her co-workers:

"So I see that you two came, but what about Tate-kun and Reito?"

"Oh, Tate-san was groaning something about mayo and Kanzaki said he'd look after him while we came over," Haruka explained.

"Oi, Mai," Natsuki called after hearing this. "Shouldn't you be with your boyfriend if he's sick?"

"And miss out on this opportunity?" Mai said excitedly, not even turning from her work.

_That really shows where your loyalties lie, Mai…_

"Oh, can I go first?" The older brunette asked, smiling contently.

The whole room fell into a stunned silence as Mai slowly turned her head to Fujino, a small growl escaping her curled lips. If you looked close enough, you might have been able to see Death behind those dark purple eyes. Of course, who'd want to get that close to Mai when she's _growling_?

A trembling Shizuru slowly leaned into Natsuki's body, holding the dentist's arm close to her chest in fear, "Natsuki-chan? I'm scared." She said, her voice quivering along with her body.

"That's because you asked a forbidden question," Kuga explained.

"She means after you, Mai," Mikoto said, trying to bring Tokiha back to the land of the sane.

"Hm?" Mai blinked, apparently out of her little episode. "Sure! Fujino can go next!" The carrot-top said, back to her normal, cheerful, motherly personality. "Then we can program our names into the wheel and let it select at random."

"It… it seems we were saved…" Kikukawa's voice trailed off.

"It's at times like this that I'm glad to know Mikoto is always by Mai-san's side," Nao said, trying to relax once more.

After ten more minutes (which included a determined Shizuru chasing a sly Mikoto around for stealing three of her donuts) of waiting, the karaoke set-up was done. "It's finished!" Mai cheered, unaware of the scene that just played out in Kuga's living room.

"Thank God," Natsuki panted as she held onto Shizuru's shoulders and waist, her arms around Fujino's body, keeping the pouting candy store owner from pouncing at the dentist assistant. Thankfully, the candy-addict wasn't struggling to get free.

To explain: after three minutes of watching Shizuru chase Mikoto, Natsuki decided enough was enough and started to chase after Shizuru to get her to stop running. This lasted the rest of the seven minutes. (Where Shizuru had enough energy to keep up with Mikoto, Natsuki didn't know. She suspected it came from all the sugar and candy Fujino had prior to the chase.)

Also, Shizuru wasn't struggling to get free was because she was enjoying being held close by Natsuki, "You may have won the battle, Minagi-han, but you have not won the war."

"I'll choose simple songs for the first couple. We can set the difficulty afterwards, once we get use to it," Mai explained eagerly as she flipped through the options. "Ah! How about this one?" She asked rhetorically as she started to push buttons after finding a good song in the songbook.

Nao raised an eyebrow, "'Perfect Day'?" She read the title of the song. "Isn't that a bit…"

"Something cheerful to start off the competition!" Mai smiled brightly, holding the microphone to her face.

Haruka frowned, "Now it's a competition?"

"Let's try our best, Haruka-chan!" Yukino giggled, the happy atmosphere getting to her.

Haruka smirked, her purple eyes shining at the challenge, "_YOSH_!" Suzushiro clenched her fist. "If it's a challenge you want, it's a challenge you'll get!"

The 'check-to-see-if-Shizuru's-okay party' commenced and everyone started to get into it, even Nao who seemed reluctant at first.

"My turn," Shizuru smiled after Mai's score was tallied. She started to look into a book, calmly flipping through the pages of songs. She suddenly paused, a large smirk spreading across her face where no one could see. She quickly tamed the smile and stood up, walking toward the microphone. She started to set the options, purposefully blocking the view of the TV so no one could see.

She brought the microphone to her face, her legs still blocking the view of the TV, even when the music started. She turned to Natsuki, smiling smugly and pointing right at her, "_Girl_!" She started the lyrics.

Natsuki frowned at the actions. _Why do I get a bad feeling about this?_

"I wanna take you to a _Gay Bar_!" Shizuru continued the lyrics right on, albeit a little nasally from her cold.

"Hell no!" Natsuki interjected, jumping to her feet and trying to snatch the microphone away in mid-song. Of course slippery Shizuru wouldn't allow that so the song was finished with a satisfied Fujino and a huffing-for-air Kuga.

_Honestly, how can Shizuru run so much in such a short amount of time! She doesn't even look tired!_

"Okay!" Mai smiled (as if it was possible for her _not_ to smile during karaoke…) "Now we start the spinner!" She announced, doing just that. The air was heavy as everyone looked at the electronic spinner on the table expectantly.

Nao frowned as it landed on her name. She sighed, "Alright, then." She said, slowly reaching for the songbook. "Just let me choose a song to get this over with."

The redhead stopped when she saw a finger wagging in front of her. She blinked, following the arm up to see a smirking co-worker. "Nuh-uh-uh! The songs are set on random as well!" Tokiha said.

"What?!" Nao exclaimed, looking to the TV just in time to see what song it was. "WHAT?!" She exclaimed louder, her cheeks reddening in embarrassment at the song that was chosen for her.

"BWAHAHAHAHA…" Natsuki's hollering was heard throughout the apartment, tears forming in her eyes as she banged her fist on her knee.

"Shut up, Kuga!" Yuuki yelled, still embarrassed. She snapped the same message at Mikoto when the raven-haired teen started laughing along with Natsuki.

"But it's so funny!" Mikoto explained through her laughter.

Mai was biting her bottom lip, trying her best not to laugh, "J-Just sing it if you want to get it over with." She said, her body shaking as she tried –_extremely_ hard- not to laugh.

Nao's eyebrow twitched as she watched her so-called friends laugh at her humiliation, "Fine then!" She said with determination. "I'll sing so well you'll be speechless!"

And so, with a strong will and stead-fast determination, Nao started to sing "Best Friend" by Toybox…

"Can't… breathe…" Natsuki tried her best to calm herself –in vain- as the song ended.

"Too… hilarious…" Mikoto panted. She then perked up when her name was landed on, "My turn?" She asked. (Nao could be seen cursing to herself as she hastily went to her previous seat.) She waited for the song to be chosen. "'Eat It' by Weird Al Yankovic?" Golden eyes frowned, "I don't know that song."

"I don't know a lot of English songs either," The spectacled woman said.

"It's okay, just sing along with the words that appear," Tokiha said encouragingly. "The score doesn't matter."

"Didn't you say this was a competition?!" The only blonde in the room frowned at Mai.

Suzushiro's comment was completely ignored, however, when Minagi nodded and then started to sing. She started to really get into it when she realized it had an easy tempo and was about food.

The roulette started once more after announcing that this next coming up song was a pair's song. They watched in anticipation as the line up for the girl's part was being chosen.

"M-Me?!" Haruka exclaimed, dumbfounded.

"Pfft--! ..." Shizuru quickly turned her head away as she felt her manager's purple, piercing eyes right on her. She couldn't help but start to giggle, the thought of Haruka playing the girl part of anything was just too funny to hide behind any 'mask' one might form.

"Do you have something to say about me singing the girl's part, Fujino?" Suzushiro asked testily, narrowing her eyes in the brunette's direction.

_There are many things I have to say about it, none of which will be said aloud._ Shizuru shook her head as an answer, unable to knock the silly grin off her face.

Before anymore could be said on the subject, the guy's part was announced. "I-I'm doing a couples song?... With Haruka-chan?" Yukino's red face could be used as a beckon, it was so bright.

"Banzai!" Shizuru cheered encouragingly.

And now for the song…

"_BARBIE GIRL_?!" Haruka's roar could be heard three apartments over.

Shizuru burst out in uncharacteristic hysterics, clutching her sides. _Haruka_ as Barbie?

Yukino's confidence seem to wash down the drain, "Um…"

"It's starting!" Mai singsonged merrily.

Nao blinked as the song started, not even trying to hold back her stunned expression._ And I though _I_ had it bad…_

The Kyoto-born's laughter also died down after a bit as she gawked at the performance. _Kikukawa… is surprisingly tone-deaf…_

There was paralyzed silence from the 'audience' as the song ended. The image of Suzushiro singing Barbie or the mousey brunette being tone deaf; either one of those images could have shocked them all, but both at the same time?...

"S-so… shall we move on?" Mai coughed, trying to break the awkward silence. She the noticed the two women that just sang and the expectant expression on their faces, "Huh? Oh! Yeah, it was wonderful!" She said, trying not to let her grin look too fake. She gave a side-eyed glare to the other four, "_Right_?"

"What?" The said other four looked over and saw the glare before turning to Yukino and Haruka, nodding rapidly. A collection of 'yeah!'s and 'of course!'s came immediately after.

"Moving on!" Mai quickly said before telling the computer to randomize again.

"Another couples song?" Mikoto asked, pointing the video camera she picked up again at the screen.

"Looks like it," Natsuki commented. She then frowned, "I'm doing the girl's part…" She didn't sound too thrilled.

The head dentist turned her head to an audible, happy gasp to see Shizuru smiling. "I'm singing the boy's part!"

"Goody," Kuga rolled her eyes.

"Isn't that backwards?" Yuuki commented.

Natsuki turned to childhood friend, "Huh?"

"Nothing," Nao sighed, shaking her head. _Stupid, clueless mutt…_

Natsuki turned back to the screen and gaped slightly, "_Another_ Aqua song?"

"I've noticed we've been in the same genre for a while now…" Kikukawa noted.

"Hm?" Mai went to the settings. "Oh! It seems to be set up to this one. Sorry, I'll change it."

Natsuki smirked, leaning back into her seat. "I guess I'll have to wait a while longer before it's my turn. _Darn_." She said smugly.

"_No_."

"Huh?" Natsuki blinked.

"I said, _no_."

What the biker saw in Fujino's eyes, and heard in her voice, almost made her scramble to pick up the second microphone. "W-what?"

"I'm going to do a couples song with Natsuki-chan and I'm going to do one _now_." Everything in Shizuru's voice screamed '_obey me_'. Natsuki could swear the candy store owner's eyes were glowing.

"For Christ's sake, Kuga, get the hell up there!" Nao yelled. Apparently, everyone else was also feeling the affects of Alpha Fujino.

"Alright, alright, alright! I'm coming, I'm coming…" Natsuki quickly walked to the second microphone.

"Yay! A couples song with Natsuki-chan!" The tone was gone and replaced with Shizuru's normal, cheerful, airheaded behavior. Everyone else breathed a sigh of relief.

_No one would ever believe me if I told them I've survived meeting Death twice in one hour…_ Natsuki mused.

"But honestly, Shizuru. 'Candyman'?" Natsuki stared at the title of the song printed on the screen.

"I think it fits!" Shizuru smiled brightly.

Natsuki could feel her eyebrow twitch a couple times. _Unfortunately…_

"Yeah, Kuga, it fits!" Nao mocked in a cheerful voice, smirking.

Natsuki sent Nao a sharp look, "Quiet, you."

The song started with Shizuru really getting the man's part of the song while Natsuki's cheeks flushed, singing the girl's part. Four others in the room thought it was cute and sweet as they sung. The last one, Nao, was laughing up a storm. Revenge is sweet like candy.

As they sat down, Shizuru clung to Natsuki tightly, smiling brightly the whole way.

Natsuki raise an eyebrow, somewhat irked about how close Shizuru was. She didn't say anything, though. "What's up with you?" The brunette's actions made Natsuki momentarily forget the embarrassment she just went through.

"I'm just really happy!"

Natsuki sighed, "Whatever." She found no point in arguing.

"Heh, how it's feel being center stage, Kuga?" Nao smirked.

Natsuki's blush returned, memories of singing the girl part of the song flooding back. She mind quickly raced for some way to get back at Yuuki for the comment. She smirked when she finally got one.

By now, Fujino had let go, allowing Natsuki to stand up and walk over to the receptionist. Kuga grabbed the short redhead by the wrist and pulled her into an embrace. "What's the matter? Did you want to do a couples song too?" She asked in a sickening sweet tone of voice. Her eyes looked down into Nao's 'endearingly'. There was a surprised gasp coming from behind them (from a certain Fujino.)

_Oh God…_ Nao could feel bile in the back of her throat at the mere thought. She pushed her boss away and ran quickly into the kitchen to find a useable trashcan.

Natsuki began to laugh heartily at the disgusted reaction. It's been that way since Natsuki first did that to Nao in middle school. She's used it ever since to get back at Nao whenever she embarrassed Natsuki too much. Natsuki's laughter quickly died down as she felt a glare on the back of her head. She turned to see red glowering at her. Shizuru's face was a huffing pout.

Natsuki blinked in confusion. _Is she…?_

"Oi! Natsuki, it's your turn!" Tokiha.

"But I just went," Natsuki said, turning to see her name was indeed on the screen. Watching the song name pop up, she sighed. "'Hungry Like the Wolf'? Why is it that _every_ time I do something like this, this song pops up? I even went to a karaoke bar once where it was all Japanese songs and this song _still_ popped up!" Kuga shook her head, "I guess that just means I know this song by heart." She said, standing. She suddenly felt pressure on her back.

She looked over her shoulder and started to gap at the scene, "Shizuru?!"

Shizuru was clinging to Natsuki, wrapping her arms tightly around the dentist's stomach, leaning in close. Her face was contorted into what could only be described as a 'jealous-filled sadness'.

"Shizuru! Get off!" Natsuki ordered.

Shizuru only tightened her hold.

"Just sing with her holding onto you. You only need your mouth to sing," Haruka said, getting impatient.

Natsuki glared at the blonde, about to retort when her co-worker cut on, "Mah, mah, Natsuki," Tokiha smiled awkwardly. "I think just singing the song and getting it over with will be for the best."

"Fine," Natsuki grumbled out before starting. Her temper started to die down as she sang. She would never admit it, but this _was_ one of her favorite songs.

Mai looked over at Shizuru, giving her a helpless smile as she looked at the childishly jealous expression on the candy store owner's face. _I'm sorry, Fujino-san. Natsuki can be a tad clueless sometimes._

The rest of the evening had many songs sung by the whole group. To name a few: 'Lump'; 'Sharada'; 'Suddenly I See'; 'One Week'. A good couple of hours passed before the group decided to settle down. And yes, Nao came back after washing her mouth out.

"I say it's time for some beers," Nao announced, standing to go get some.

"Time for booze!" Mikoto cheered.

"You're underage," Natsuki reprimanded.

"So?" Mikoto blinked. "Nao brings me to get drinks all the time."

Natsuki looked at Mai expectantly, causing Mai to look away guiltily. Natsuki frowned, "You too, Mai?"

"Well, she's good security to have when at clubs and such…" Mai trailed off.

"What about Nao? She's as good with a pole-arm as I am with my fists. Just give her a broom and you'd be safe." It was true, Natsuki and Nao started martial arts at the same time. The only difference was that Nao went in the weapons direction where Natsuki decided to go melee.

"Nao's usually off on her own."

_That's true._ "What about your boyfriend, Tate-san?" Natsuki asked pointedly.

"I guess, but still," Mai said, "I can't just leave Mikoto home alone."

Natsuki winched at the thought, "I see your point." Natsuki sighed, giving up. She laid down length-wise across the couch on her back, letting out a breath of air as she did so. She started to relax as she placed her right forearm across her closed eyes.

Out of the blue, she felt a weight on her body.

_Not again._ Natsuki frowned under her arm, "Shizuru, what're you doing?" She said, not even looking to see if Shizuru was indeed the cause of the weight.

"Nothin'…" It seems Natsuki guessed correctly.

"Then could you get off?"

"Nope."

"Figures."

Fujino made a small noise as she moved slightly, trying to get into a comfortable position. She sighed in satisfaction as she found the 'perfect mold'. She laid her head down in the dip of Natsuki's neck, closing her eyes and wrapping her arms around the dentist's body, under the torso.

Mai's eyebrow twitched at the scene, more so at the fact that Natsuki wasn't yelling for Fujino to get off. In fact, Natsuki just seemed to accept this action as an every day thing. _And she still expects me to believe that they aren't going out?_

Similar thoughts were going through Minagi, Kikukawa and Suzushiro's heads.

Natsuki hissed slightly as she felt something freezing press against her right cheek. She slid her arm off and opened her eyes to see Nao's signature cat smirk and a brown bottle being offered down to her. "Jesus, Nao. If it was any colder my cheek would be frozen." She grumbled, taking the beer bottle.

"What, did I disturb your tranquility?" She asked, noticing the peaceful air that floated about the couch. That didn't last long, though, as Nao felt a piercing gaze upon her. "Huh?" Her gaze trailed down to see glaring red. Shizuru's expression clearly said 'Mine!' as she clung tighter to Natsuki.

The secretary raised an eyebrow, _What is she getting all defensive about?..._ Something clicked in Nao's head. _Oh, she thinks because of Kuga's little display earlier that I'm going after her._ Nao rolled her eyes and sent a 'you've gotta be kidding me' look back to the brunette. _Like I'd ever go after dog-breath…_ Nao just sauntered back to her seat and sat down.

"You look comfy," Nao commented to the noirette, ignoring Fujino's stare.

It was Natsuki's turn to roll her eyes. "She always does stuff like this. Even if I try to push her off, she always manages to find a way back on. I'm too tired to push her off at the moment."

A giggle came from Natsuki's neck area as something snuggled closer to it. "Oi…" Natsuki gave a half-hearted frown, glancing down at the part of the brunette's body she could see without lifting her head. Kuga's right hand was gasping the neck of the beer bottle, resting the bottom of it on the floor; her left arm was rested limply upon the small of Shizuru's back.

_And she still wants me to believe they're not going out? No two people act that close unless they're together! _Nao's train of thought finally joined the others. I_ know you, and I _know_ you aren't this dense!_

"Hey," Haruka said, gaining everyone's attention, "Follow me into the kitchen for a bit, will you?" She stood up and started to walk toward Natsuki's kitchen area. The head dentist started to lean up, but Suzushiro turned around and held up her hand, "Not you two." They others walked in behind Haruka and the blonde closed the door separating the rooms.

Kuga raised an eyebrow before frowning curiously, "Okay…" She leaned back down, much to Shizuru's contentment.

"Oh!" Shizuru interjected. She leaned up a little and reached over to the bag of candy Yukino brought her. She giggled a little when she took out a pack of sweet tarts for herself and a packet of taffy for Natsuki. She stuck the candy into Kuga's mouth before the dentist could say anything.

Shizuru just smiled softly, inwardly gushing at the cute scene of Natsuki have half a bar of taffy in her mouth.

Natsuki lifted her left hand and took the bar out, looking at its pink form.

"Natsuki-chan has to eat it," Fujino said, already on the last sweet tart of her pack. Yes, she's _that_ fast.

"'Has to'?"

"Yes, it's an order," Shizuru explained, smiling mischievously.

Natsuki just sighed. _I guess nothing bad can happen if she's just offering candy,_ Natsuki concluded, putting half the bar into her mouth. She was about to open her mouth again to fit the rest of it in when—

_CHOMP…_

Natsuki's eye twitched as she saw crimson eyes dance with mirth. Shizuru had clamped down on the other half, their lips barely apart in distance. "Shizuru… what're you doing?" Natsuki asked through grit teeth, her voice mumbled from having something in her mouth.

"Eating taffy," The candy store owner answered innocently, her own voice not only being nasally but also muffled.

"Give me back my taffy," Natsuki growled out, pulling back.

"No," Fujino challenged, pulling her side.

The bickering (more like one sided fight) continued on, both of them stretching out the taffy and wrestling slightly on the couch. About four minutes later, Natsuki ended being on top, on her knees and hands, while Shizuru was lying with her back on the couch. They were both panting, taffy still in their mouths.

Shizuru's gaze was half-lidded, her hair spread out on the armrest of the couch. She panted, her chest heaving as she stared up at Natsuki's determined expression. _Operation, start._

She leaned up on her elbows and slowly started to gather the stretched taffy in her mouth, fishing it in with her tongue as she slowly climbed toward Natsuki's lips. _Just a bit farther_, She thought as she traveled past the halfway point. Her breaths grew shallower as she neared Kuga's mouth. _Almost there…_

"Remember the plan for tomorrow then, alright?... Huh?" Haruka looked over as she saw the scene: Kuga was over Fujino, their lips about an inch away from touching. Both sets of eyes were giving her side-ways glances. "What's foaming on here?"

"'Going', Haruka-chan," Yukino predictably corrected.

"Nothing, Shizuru's just being childish," Natsuki said quickly, trying to hide pink cheeks, letting the taffy fall from her mouth as she sat back and away from Shizuru.

The taffy landed on Shizuru's nose with a wet 'thwack'. She frowned, staring dully at the ceiling. She brought the rest of the taffy into her mouth and started to furiously chew. _Indirect kiss? _She deadpanned irritably in her thoughts.

"Anyway, it's getting late. We thought it was about time to head out. Some of us don't have tomorrow off, like you do, Natsuki," Mai smiled.

Natsuki looked over to the clock and noticed the time before looking back at her friends, "Nn. 'Night then."

The five that didn't live in Natsuki's apartment bid their farewells to the two others and wished Shizuru to 'get well soon'. The candy store owner nodded her head as thanks, unable to answer them back with words due to the taffy in her mouth.

The front door closed and Natsuki yawned before stretching, "Time to go to bed," She said, mostly to herself.

* * *

After the two finished getting ready, the black-haired woman laid down on her side of the bed, expecting Fujino to do the same.

Wrong.

Natsuki eye twitched as she started down at Shizuru's body. It was laying _right on top_ of her. "Shizuru?"

"Yes?"

"What're you doing?" She asked through clenched teeth. She was trying terribly to keep her anger in check.

"Laying down," Shizuru answered, as if it was obvious. She laid her head down on her 'pillows' and sighed blissfully.

"Why are you on my body?!" Natsuki couldn't keep herself from yelling.

"So loud," Shizuru pouted. "My ears… Did you ever stop to think about my poor ears, having to listen to you yell when they're this close to your mouth?"

"Answer the question!"

"Well, I figured I'd help my body out. I knew it would just end up on top of yours by tomorrow morning, so why have it go through all the work during the night when I could just place myself on top of you right now?" Shizuru reasoned.

"_Off_!" Natsuki started to forcefully push Shizuru off.

"Ikezu!" Shizuru whined loudly, clinging close to Natsuki's warmth. She wrapped her arms around Kuga's mid-section and her legs tangled up with Natsuki's.

After a few minutes, Natsuki gave up, "Fine!" She growled out. "It's too damn late for this crap!" She brought her hand to the lamp to turn off the light harshly before moving back to her comfortable position.

"Good night, Natsuki-chan. Good night, Duran," Shizuru said.

"Ugh. Good night, Shizuru. Good night, Duran," Natsuki answered automatically, out of habit, in a tone of voice that suggested she was on the edge of erupting in anger.

This brought giggles from the body on top of her, the said body shaking in silent laughter.

"What is it _now_?"

"Natsuki-chan said good night to Duran without me reminding her! She's catching on!"

"Er--!"

Even in the dark and with her eyes closed, the brunette could tell Kuga's cheeks were red with embarrassment.

"S-shut up and go to sleep."

"Hai," Shizuru answered through suppressed giggles. _Tomorrow's amusement park trip is going to be fun! _The candy store owner thought excitedly before drifting off into sleep.

* * *

No omake tonight, sorry. It's too late for me to think up anything funny. XP But the chapter after the next is the amusement park! Yay! Big events will be taking place so be on the look out for the chapter after the next! ;D

**Disclaimer 2**: Songs belong to their respective owners. 'Gay Bar' belongs to Electric Six; 'Perfect Day' belongs to Hoku; 'Best Friend' belongs to Toybox; 'Barbie Girl' and 'Lollipop (Candyman)' belong to Aqua; 'Hungry Like the Wolf' belongs to Duran Duran; 'Eat It' belongs to Weird Al Yankovic (a spoof of Michael Jackson's 'Beat It'.); 'One Week' belongs to Barenaked Ladies; 'Suddenly I See' belongs to KT Tunstall; 'Lump' belongs to Presidents of the USA; 'Sharada' belongs to Skye Sweetnam


	10. Intermission

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Mai Hime.

Heh, no. this isn't the amusement park chapter, sorry. But I wrote this to raise a few questions within the readers. This might spark their interest and explain why Shizuru's being a bit more OOC than usual as of late. I know she's been getting really annoying lately and I wanted people to know that it's not me going 'out of the box'. XP

**tears of the soul**: -shrugs- :P This chapter better?

**kikyo4ever**: X3 You have really good intuition. XD

**pileoflettuce** (anon.): You should really listen to the songs. :3 I think some of them really describe this fic, or at least the OOC Shizuru. ^^;

**confused-orange579**: Ha. I keep getting asked that. All I can say is soon? As for Natsuki being slow? Uh... because I made her that way. XP

**lildevilish**: Yes, Natsuki's rather slow, isn't she? XP

* * *

Shizuru groaned slightly, moving about slightly in her sleep. Her cheeks were flushed and she was panting. Her hands clenched around Natsuki's tank top tighter, pulling her body close to the one under her. "Na-tsu-ki…" She panted out in her sleep as she continued to shift.

She suddenly woke up with a start, gasping slightly.

She continued to puff, glancing around the room before her gaze finally landed on the sleeping figure of Natsuki under her. _What was I…?_

A frown appeared on her face, "Ara… Did I honestly just dream that up?" She said, more surprised and disappointed with herself than anything.

Her expression turned thoughtful as her mind replayed the dream over. She felt her cheeks start to burn after a bit and she buried her face in the chest under her. "Ikezu, Natsuki…" She whined slightly. "So rough."

She started to get up, but hissed slightly when the friction brought an involuntary moan from her mouth. Her body was still a bit hypersensitive, tingly. She quickly got off the sleeping woman's body and stood up, her cheeks flushed an intense red.

"So, the person in _those_ kind of dreams has switched to Natsuki, nah?" The brunette's smile was both rueful and ironic. She looked down to Natsuki and poked her cheek lightly, "You lucky dog."

She chuckled slightly when she saw Natsuki frown in her sleep and turn her head to the other side, trying to get away from the offending poke.

She then regained her former mood and looked upward toward the Heavens,_ Is this your way of telling me to move on from 'her'?_ 'Her' being Shizuru's partner before she knew of Natsuki.

She nodded her head in agreement. "I suppose it's about time. She's never going to come back." She smiled sadly, "My head finally knows what my heart's known all along. I guess all I can do is hope Natsuki-chan will accept all of me. The good _and_ the bad."

The candy store owner yawned slightly, starting to finally wake a bit from her drowsiness. "I guess that just means I'll just have to make Natsuki-chan finally notice me today at the amusement park!" Shizuru giggled, already coming up with a list antics she could do at the park.

"Speaking of which, have I been a bit too clingy as of late?" She asked to no one in particular, looking down at the noirette still on the bed, considering her feelings for a moment. "… Nah." Shizuru smiled brightly. "Natsuki-chan's a big girl. She can take it."

She looked at the time on the digital alarm clock next to Natsuki bed and frowned slightly, "That dream woke me up a bit early, didn't it?..."

Her frowned furrowed a little more at another thought: _And it's not like I can just go back to bed with that dream still fresh in my mind, _she thought, her cheeks pinking slightly as she pouted.

"Breakfast this early never hurt anyone," Shizuru concluded as she started to walk toward the kitchen, only to stop dead in her tracks, her whole face gaining color. "… I suppose a shower first is in order though, yes?" _And a new pair of panties…_

--------------

Shizuru was standing under the cold shower, letting the cold droplets fall onto her still sensitive skin. She pouted as she stared at the white tiles in front of her, "Baka Natsuki." She said, blaming it all on Natsuki even though it was _her_ dream. "I'll get you back for this later today…"

* * *

Yeah. That should bring up a couple questions. Now, the next chapter is _definitely_ the amusement park chapter! I swear!


	11. Funland

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Mai Hime.

Thank you **Beaustiful** for beta-ing! :D

I know there's lack of 'Sweet Tooth Meets Otome'. I took it down, but it'll be up either at the end or of its own story.

So, here's the next chapter of everyone's twenty-fourth ranked favorite purposefully OOC'd story... What? You can't expect me to know how high it's ranked among you people! :P And Sorry for taking so long... I really wanted this chapter to count so I kept re-thinking it over and over and finally said, "Demon, just write the damn chapter." And I did, so here it is.

When there's a lot of '-' in the aligned in the middle, that means Natsuki and Shizuru moved onto another ride. When there's only three '-' aligned in the middle, there's been a small time lapse. Enjoy. :)

* * *

"My legs hurt," Natsuki groaned as she dropped Shizuru's hand and started to pant, leaning her hands on her knees.

"I'm fine," Shizuru turned around and walked back to her running partner still as chipper as when they first started running. Granted, her chest was heaving as well, but she didn't look like she was about to keel over like Kuga.

Natsuki shot a quick evil look through the fallen stains of her hair toward bright red eyes, "I'm happy you're fine."

"I'm happy you're happy," The smile grew as she chose to ignore the sarcasm that came from Natsuki's mouth.

They'd just come out from the Bumper Cars, where this one woman had apparent road-rage problems and slammed into Shizuru, sending the store owner forward and slamming her head into her steering wheel. After the woman's wife (apparently, it was their anniversary) apologized on behalf of the woman, Natsuki checked to see if Shizuru was injured. Thankfully, it was nothing serious, though it might bruise a bit. The Sugiura's, as Natsuki discovered their last name to be, bought Shizuru a stick of cotton candy as an apology and walked off.

This was when Shizuru randomly decided to grab the dentist's hand and sprint across the large amusement park.

"Now who's the one who needs exercise?" A cheeky comment came from above Natsuki's head.

The noirette leaned up, frowning, "I _do_ exercise; it's called karate. You're just on a sugar high after eating that whole stick of cotton candy in under two minutes. I'm just waiting for the crash," Kuga smirked.

"I didn't eat _all_ the cotton candy… I shared." Shizuru pouted.

Natsuki's eyebrow twitched on cue, "Shoving large puffs of cotton candy into my mouth without warning isn't my definition of sharing."

"Well, Natsuki-chan just has to learn that not everyone thinks like her. Her definition and my definition may be different."

"You shoved it into my mouth!" Natsuki exclaimed.

"I _pushed_ it into your mouth," Shizuru said, using a synonym to get her point across.

"Argh, whatever. Just choose which ride you wanna go on next."

The amusement park they went to, stereotypically named Funland, was fairly large with many things to do. Shizuru, as Natsuki soon found out, was determined to go on as many rides as she could before the day was through.

"How about those?" Fujino pointed over to the nearby row of stands.

"Nah. We'll save those for the end of the day. It'll be a hassle to carry around and go on rides if you win anything."

"Ara, then I'll just have Natsuki-chan carry them for me!" Shizuru beamed.

Natsuki gave the brunette a side-ways glare, "Which is exactly why I said we'll get to them later." She growled out, already figuring out that Fujino would most likely dump the prizes into her arms.

"Well, what have we gone on already?"

"The bumper cars, the amusement park swings, the teacups… Oi…" Natsuki shivered at the memory of almost throwing up. Who knew the cups were allowed to spin that fast? She ignored the giggle in the background as she continued to count on her fingers, listing the rides off, "The drop tower, the freak out—"

"You forced me on that one!"

Natsuki chuckled fondly at the memory, smiling wickedly, "It's payback for making me go on the looping ship." Ah, the memory of Shizuru screaming next to her as she laughed, played back once more in her head.

"Moving on," Shizuru huffed.

"Right, right… Where was I? Oh yeah.—"

"Oh! We haven't gone on the log ride yet!"

Natsuki blinked, looking at Shizuru.

"I know what you're thinking," Shizuru shot up her hand to prevent Natsuki pointing out the obvious. "But, I'd like to point out the fact that we'd be the only ones in the line _because_ it's November."

"No. Besides, the water's probably freezing- it did just snow a few days ago."

The candy store owner sighed, her shoulder slumping slightly. "Worth a shot."

Natsuki shook her head as she continued, "And the troika. We've pretty much hit most of the thrill rides."

Shizuru did a mental count and smirked when Kuga finished, "Ara… I think Natsuki-chan missed one."

Green eyes widened, "Oh God." She didn't want to remember…

Shizuru giggled pleasantly when she recalled the memory, "Natsuki's reaction was so cute when the slingshot went off. She was holding my hand so tightly…"

Kuga's cheeks pinked as she turned to glare at the older woman. "I told you for the last time, I thought your hand was the bar we hold onto!" Of course this was a lie, she was just desperate to hold onto anything, but she wouldn't give Shizuru the material to tease her more.

"Natsuki-chan was so cute when she clung to me, wide-eyed and frightened, when we got off!" Shizuru gushed.

"I was shocked! Okay? _Shocked!_" Natsuki tried to lamely justify herself.

"We should do it once more!" Shizuru said, her expression showing pure joy. She then gave the head dentist a playful look, "I'll let Natsuki-chan hold my hand again."

"No way! Never!" Natsuki's cheeks were red as she bluntly refused going on that ride a second time.

"Fine, suit yourself," Fujino said then looked around. Her eyes sparkled brightly, "How about that one?" She pointed in the ride's direction.

"Hm?" Natsuki, after getting over her little outburst, turned a lazy gaze toward where her housemate was pointing and her eyes went wide. She suddenly felt winded for reasons she couldn't comprehend. "T-_there_?" Natsuki said, her voice lacking breath.

"Yep!" Once again, Shizuru grabbed Natsuki hand started to pull the raven-haired woman toward their new destination.

"W-wait!" Natsuki eyed the building in front of them. _She… she can't mean--!_ The building of pink came ever closer, foot by foot and pink hearts came into view and the love tunnel loomed over her. She swallowed, just realizing how dry her throat was and only now becoming aware of how warm her cheeks were. _Why would she bring us _here_?!_

Suddenly, the person pulling her took an unexpected turn toward a different and much longer line. She breathed out a sigh of relief as she realized Fujino wasn't taking her to the over flowingly pink building. _Of course she wouldn't. What am I? Stupid?_ She chuckled inwardly before looking around, _But if we're not going there, which line are we in? _"'The Backpeddle'?" She read the sign.

The Backpeddle was the most famous ride in Funland and also its signature ride. It was known for being fast, fun and sending unexpected twists to the riders; 'The perfect roller coaster for avid 'coaster goers.'

Now, Natsuki didn't mind roller coasters, she tolerated them, but with the sly gleam in Shizuru's eyes, she was starting to suspect something was up. What she didn't know, though, was that Shizuru was trying hard not to outwardly laugh at the expression on Natsuki's face when they were headed toward the Love Tunnel.

Before the two knew it, it was their turn to get onto the Backpeddle. They were strapped in, their feet dangling in the air as they sat suspended twenty feet above the ground. There were netted metal frames keeping people's legs from touching each other. Natsuki looked ahead, "Looks pretty straight-forward…" She mumbled, noting all the loops and turns. She was able to see all of these clearly because Shizuru and herself just happened to be two of the few people in the front. The mandatory safety announcement started but Natsuki drowned it out, _The reason they have these announcements is because stupid people have done stupid things…_

The announcement continued, "… And we advise you to tuck your knees in so serious injury does not occur…"

"It's about to start, Natsuki-chan!" Fujino's excited voice came from Natsuki's left.

"Mm…" _Let's just get this over wi—iTH?!?_ Natsuki found herself shot backwards at an incredible speed. It only lasted a second or three, but it was enough to leave Natsuki stunned. "W-w-what just happened?!" She looked around after she regained her senses finding something to be off.

She looked downward and found the sky. She looked up to see the ground…

"Why are we upside down?!" Her loose legs flailed about, looking as if she was peddling. They were suspended upside down, facing the track backwards so Natsuki could see where the end of the rail was, where the flip happened. Realization dawned on the dentist, _This is why it's called the Backpeddle…_

"Look over there, Natsuki-chan!" Shizuru's voice, which was now coming from her right, called over.

"Huh?" Natsuki wasn't sure if she could take much more, but she looked anyway. She stared incredulously at what she found: right there, ten feet ahead of everyone, was a three-feet-by-three-feet board with large, glaring red numbers counting down.

She promptly tucked her knees to her chest.

'03'

_Please don't tell me…_

'02'

… _we're going to be shot off backwards…_

'01'

… _when the counter hits zero._

'00'

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhh......"

* * *

"How about we go on the Backpeddle next? I hear it's wicked," Nao smirked as she looked at the amusement park's map.

Mikoto stuffed another handful of popcorn into her mouth, "How about we have lunch again?"

Haruka turned to the assistant dentist, frowning, "You can't have more than one lunch!"

Mikoto scowled back, "Yes you can! I have second and third lunches all the time!"

The blonde's frown furrowed, "That doesn't make sense!"

"Besides," Yukino came to Haruka's aid, "Aren't you eating at this very moment, Minagi-san?"

"Guys, guys!" Mai glared at the group as they stopped, wondering why Tokiha looked upset. "Can we not talk about food or rides for a moment and discuss what we came here for? We had a meeting yesterday saying we'd help hitch Natsuki and Fujino up!"

A sly smile formed onto the redhead's features, "Relax, Mai. We're at an amusement park! We have all day to help them out, but for now, I wanna go on the tilt-a-whirl."

"First we help them, then we do the rides," Mai said with a voice full of authority. "Besides, shouldn't this be a cinch for you, Ms. 'I-Can-Get-Any-Guy-I-Want'?"

Yuuki's cheery demeanour vanished within seconds as she sent Tokiha a glare, "I'm not dating that guy anymore."

Mai blinked, "You broke up?" The dentist then smiled cheekily, "What was his expression on his face when you dumped him?"

The green glare intensified into sheer glowering, "_He_ dumped _me_."

The carrot top's eyes widened, _Nao was dumped?!_ That was unheard of! Nao always did the breaking up part when she felt the men were getting a tad too clingy. "W-why? What happened?" Mai didn't know if she was happy or sad that Natsuki wasn't around to hear this; Natsuki acted like an older sister to Nao and probably would have a fit hearing this, wanting to kick the guy's ass for dumping her best friend since their younger years.

"That asshole I called a boyfriend was cheating on me with two other girls, it turns out. He tells me this after flat out dumping me," Nao glanced back at Mai and the others, seeing the dentist and her assistant suppressing their anger.

"Where is he?!" Mikoto growled out, her fists clenching at her side.

Nao scoffed, shrugging, "Hell if I know? I got rid of his number the minute after he dumped me." She then smirked wickedly, "And don't worry about 'getting revenge', I've already taken care of that."

The group relaxed, their expressions changing into curiosity. "What'd you do to them?"

"Let's just say I got a friend of mine, who I'd seen recently, from the dojo I study bojutsu at and we, ah, whacked him with our 'sticks'," The smirk grew on Nao's face.

"I hope you weren't too hard on him," Mai sighed. Nao was as deadly with a staff as Natsuki was in mixed martial arts.

Nao huffed, "That bastard deserved it."

"Are you over him, though?" Mikoto asked, concerned for her friend.

"Are you kidding? Of course I've moved on. It's not like me to mope around, right?"

Minagi smiled brightly, nodding, "Yup!"

"Besides I've already vented out my anger with that friend I was talkin' about. I spared with her for a while and talked about it as well. She even treated me to crepes after!" Nao grinned.

_Crepes?..._ Mai blinked, "Who'd you talk it over with?"

Nao frowned, "Nosy much? I do have other friends besides you guys."

Mai frowned back, "Fine don't tell us. I was just asking…" She muttered, "But you know I'm not going to give up until you tell me."

Nao smirked, amused, "Try all you might but you'll never get it out of me."

* * *

Natsuki was glaring forward, muttering curses to herself.

Shizuru looked on, an amused smile on her face. It soon grew into a mischievous smile, "Natsuki looks like she enjoyed that ride." She joked. She leaned in close to the shorter woman, "Would Natsuki like to go on that ride again?"

Green eyes shot open in alarm, "I'm never again riding that demon 'coaster!" She exclaimed with finality.

Shizuru silently giggled before calming herself, audible sighing and shrugging, "And here I thought Natsuki-chan was fearless."

"Sorry if doing anything upside down, backwards and high speeds isn't my forte," The head dentist deadpanned. She then glanced around, trying to find something that would take her mind of the hell-bent excuse of a ride. She spotted Funland's very large Ferris wheel, "How about we go on that?"

"Hm?" The candy store owner followed Natsuki's gaze and felt her breath catch in her throat when she saw the ride. "T-that?"

Kuga raised an eyebrow at the reaction, "You can't tell me you're scared of heights. That roller coaster we were just on when at least two-thirds that far up."

"It's… It's not that Natsuki-chan," Shizuru said, unable to hide the small amount of panic in her voice.

"Then what is it?" Natsuki narrowed her eyes in concern. Did Fujino have a bad experience on a Ferris wheel before?

Shizuru closed her eyes. _I was planning on telling Natsuki everything on the Ferris wheel when we got to it. I just didn't think we'd get to it this soon. I could always post-pone it for— No! You promised yourself you'd tell Natsuki your feelings on this ride and you're not going to back out now._ She opened her eyes and smiled at her housemate, "It's nothing. Let's go on it, shall we?" She grasped Natsuki's wrist and went to stand in line.

---

"So… it appears we stopped at the top," Natsuki said, looking out the window of their carriage. The others in the park looked like small ants from this high up; Kuga couldn't remember the last time she'd been on a Ferris wheel. She continued to look out the viewing window of the carriage they were in trying to figure out why there was such heavy atmosphere between them.

"So we have…" Shizuru answered back quietly, sitting on the opposite side of the carriage, also looking out the window. The heavy silence was killing her and she couldn't stop fidgeting with the hem of her jacket's sleeve. She opened her mouth a little, no words coming out. She then frowned, re-closing her mouth as her gaze drifted over to the other woman in the dangling box.

_Okay, Shizuru. You have to do this now; it's now or never. The brunette took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. Even if Natsuki doesn't like the idea, you have enough money in a savings account to at least rent a room for a month or two in a hotel. That should get you enough time to find a good apartment rate._

Shizuru clenched her jacket's bottom lightly, playing with the wool, unaware of green eyes watching her out a sideways stare, "Natsuki-chan…" Her voice trailed off. _But… I don't know if I'll be able to take Natsuki's rejection._ Her emotions were clearly displayed on her face, the worry and the hesitation. Even the anxiousness when Kuga replied with a casual, 'Yeah?'

"I have something to tell you."

Natsuki drew her gaze away from the other occupant in the carriage to look back down at the people below, "What is it?" She asked quietly. Shizuru didn't know it, but Natsuki's heart was racing almost as fast as hers. The atmosphere wasn't making it any better for either of them; it was heavy and it told of repressed secretes just waiting to burst.

It was almost too much for Shizuru to bear.

"I like you."

_There. I said it._

Shizuru waited for what seemed forever for a response. Words to come out of the mouth that she'd been wanting to kiss. Emotions to be brought up from the body she wanted to touch.

If Natsuki knew of these feelings, Shizuru was certain that she'd be rejected. But she couldn't deny or keep lying to Natsuki. She deserved the truth if Fujino truly liked Natsuki.

Then finally, Natsuki opened her mouth to respond:

"I know."

Shizuru was caught up in her thoughts, unable to comprehend Natsuki saying anything other than rejection so she let her mouth run, "I'm sorry Natsuki-chan! I know that it's wrong for me to have these feelings and you've expressed it just now but I would like to say thank you for at least letting me stay in your apartment and for—"

"Shizuru!"

"Y-yes?" Fujino responded, confused as to why Natsuki raised her voice… and why she had such an amused, welcoming smile on her face.

"I said, 'I know'."

Shizuru blinked. Then she blinked a second time. "Come again?"

A sly smile found its way onto the head dentist's face, "I already knew you liked me, or at least lusted for me. I'm kind of glad to know it's the former."

"You-you knew?!" Shizuru's eyes went wide. She knew?! How did she know?! She thought Natsuki was being dense all those times!

Natsuki nodded her head, "I had a strange feeling for a couple days now. It only grew last night during that whole… taffy-thing." Natsuki blushed, remembering how close their faces were. She shook her head, trying to calm down. She had to get through this. She turned back to the Kyoto-born. "It wasn't until last night I was clued into what it was, though." She then smiled, "Did you honestly think I was dense enough to not notice anything, Shizuru?"

"W-well, yes!" Shizuru sputtered in her astonishment. She was still trying to get over the fact that Natsuki knew!

The raven-haired woman's smile dropped. "Thanks," She deadpanned.

Shizuru, brought back to her senses by the biker's sudden change in attitude, tried to calm herself down. But it was kind of hard to do that in the euphoric state she was in. _She's not rejecting me!_ She couldn't swipe the cheerful grin off her face even if she tried, "But how did you find out?" Hadn't they been sleeping last night? Was it during karaoke?

Natsuki's expression went back to normal. "While I have to admit I was a bit dense for a while there, there was something that happened yesterday that brought a light onto an otherwise dim subject for me."

"Yes?" Shizuru started to subconsciously lean forward in her building suspense.

Kuga's face immediately contorted into a ticked off one, "You were freakin' _moaning_ out my name while grinding your body against my leg!" She yelled. "How the hell am I suppose to not notice something like _that_?!"

Shizuru winced, "Ara… I did that outside of my dream?" She grinned sheepishly.

"Did you?!" Natsuki continued. "You probably woke the people next door! I certainly know_ I_ had the surprise of my life!" Her cheeks were flushed a tomato red as she tried not to recall last night. Key word: _tried._

Shizuru's cheeks started to burn up as well, "I can't help it!" She defended herself. "It's Natsuki's fault her legs are so inviting! Blame your well-tone limbs if you want to accuse something!" She huffed indignantly, crossing her arms under her chest.

"What?! You can blame this on my legs!"

"Yes I can! I just did!" Shizuru pointed to the 'offending' legs in question. "They're too sexy for their own good!"

"Well sor-ry for doing martial arts so I can get out my pent up frustrations! Maybe I should stop, if you're so against it!"

"No! You can't stop!" Shizuru exclaimed, a horrified expression on her features. "That just adds to their appeal!"

"For the love of--!..." Natsuki brought one of her hands to her forehead, massaging away the head ache she felt growing behind her temple. She took a deep breath, starting to calm down. "Let's put that aside for now and get back to the matter at hand."

"Ignoring the fact that you were… enjoying yourself against my leg," Natsuki continued, "It brought a new light to the subject and made me realize (more like shoved it into my face) the fact that you at least lusted for me if nothing else. With that thought, I found myself drifting back into sleep –which I don't know how I could with all your groaning, but I did- only to be woken up a second time by the sound of a shower."

The Kyoto-born nodded her head, "Yes, I took a fairly long shower early this morning."

"Yeah, and I was just lying there, staring at the ceiling, thinking about our current predicament. I came upon some very interesting conclusions."

"Which are…?" Shizuru pushed, curious.

"One is that you have way too much pent up sexual frustrations," Natsuki frowned, causing the candy store owner to huff back, her cheeks pinking slightly, as if to say 'and whose fault is that?!'

"But," Natsuki calmed down, smiling serenely, "I also figured out that you've become a big part of my life. A big enough part to where, um," Natsuki looked away bashfully, blushing as she scratched the back of her head, "I don't know what I'd do without you." _God, that was incredibly corny. I can't believe I just said something that cheesy. Pull yourself togeth—_

"Natsuki!" Shizuru exclaimed, tears at the side of her eyes as she pounced on her housemate. Fujino straddled Kuga's hips and hugged her close, placing her face in the crook of Natsuki's neck. "I love you, Natsuki." She said softly, her lips brushing against Natsuki's throat.

_I love you…_ Those words echoed over and over in the dentist's ear, making her flush from her neck to her ears. "W-wait!" Natsuki exclaimed. "You just said my name without '-chan'!" She exclaimed, the shock setting in.

"Yep," Shizuru giggled quietly, lifting her face from Kuga's neck. She then smiled playfully and leaned into the biker's ear, whispering softly, "And if Natsuki's going to be my girlfriend, she'll have to get use to it."

"G-G-G-G-_Girlfriend_?!" Natsuki's face was turning an unhealthy purple from shock after shock. "Wait! I haven't agreed to anything like that! I'm still trying to get over the fact that I like someone and— hrm?!" Natsuki stopped talking when a slender finger was gingerly placed onto her lips.

Natsuki's green eyes met Shizuru's red, glazed ones, "Shh, stop talking, Natsuki. You'll ruin the moment." She brought her hands to cup the noirette's face and placed a chaste kiss onto Natsuki's lips. It only lasted a second or two, but that was long enough for the dentist.

_My first kiss… _Natsuki's mind blanked. Her already overworked system shutting down at this final shock.

Shizuru leaned back, still sitting on her now-girlfriend's legs, "Natsuki?" She tilted her head to the side. "Ara… I killed her." She pouted, wondering how she could revive Kuga. "Now that I have a girlfriend, I can't have her dying on me. Oh, I know!" She smirked impishly. She leaned in close again and brushed her tongue across Natsuki's parted lips before sticking it into the dentist's mouth.

"Hrm?!" Natsuki's mind instantly rebooted as something foreign entered her mouth. She started to squirm, but she couldn't move very far because she was already sitting in one corner of the floating box. Besides, Shizuru's mouth seemed persistent in not parting from her.

And so, she was stuck with her mouth being explored by her newly acquired girlfriend.

Finally, Shizuru parted for air, both of them panting and flushed. They were both silent, one still overjoyed that she had a girlfriend; the other confused for the very same reason.

The biker glanced over to see the airheaded woman giggling, "What?" She asked, wondering if she should have really asked. She didn't think her mind could take another shock.

"Natsuki tastes better than any kind of candy I've ever had," The brunette said, sighing contently as she scooted back, making it easier for her to rest her head on the head dentist's shoulder.

"That's nice to know… I guess," Natsuki sighed. It might take a while to get use to this… _Or maybe not_, Natsuki noted. This wasn't far off from how they normally acted around each other. Minus the kissing, of course.

That and annoying groping of her rear was new as well.

Wait… what?

"Quit groping my butt!" Kuga exclaimed, trying to unclamp the feisty hands from her bottom.

"But Natsuki's body begs to be groped!" Shizuru defended, moving her hands from the noirette's rear to her sides.

"Ah!" Natsuki called out, flinching away from the hands getting near her ticklish spot. "Stop it!" She gasped when she realized the hands kept moving higher under her jacket and shirt. "No!" She pulled the candy store owner's wrists from underneath.

"But I wanna warm my hands!" Shizuru pouted childishly.

"Use your own body!" Natsuki countered.

"But it feels better if I use yours!"

"For you!"

"But I wanna touch you! You said it yourself, I have pent up sexual frustrations and Natsuki's my cure!"

"Not now!" By now, both of their voices were raising higher.

"Didn't you like it?" Shizuru asked loudly.

"Yes!" Natsuki admitted just as loud.

"THEN LET ME TOUCH YOU!" Shizuru demanded at her loudest.

"LATER IN THE RELATIONSHIP!" Natsuki declared back at her loudest. She basically just admitted aloud that they were a couple. They both sat there, panting from all that yelling.

Finally, Fujino spoke again, "… How much later?"

"God, help me…"

---

"Shizuru?"

"Yes, Natsuki?"

"Is it just me or have we been up here a while?"

"We have," Shizuru answered back. "This is probably why the line was so long."

"That makes sense," Natsuki commented off-handily. It was silent for a few moments longer before Kuga continued, "Say Shizuru, could you answer a few questions for me?"

"Shoot."

"Question one, why are you so hyper all the time?"

Shizuru giggled into her comfortable spot, laying her head on Natsuki's lap, before she answered with a cheeky, "Why are you so cynical all the time?"

Natsuki glared down at her partner, "Just answer."

"Well, I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was seven. I've never taken medicine for it."

_That explains _so _much. _"Why not?"

"My father never paid for it," Shizuru's reply came a little quieter this time. She started to play with the zipper on Natsuki's jacket.

"Then how about your mom?"

The actions froze for a moment. Natsuki was about to repeat the question after waiting a while, thinking Fujino hadn't heard, when the Kyoto-born finally answered, "I don't have a mother…"

Green eyes widened before looking around in a panic_. Oh shit! I just brought up something emotional, didn't I? Um, um… Oh!_ "How about your aunt? Did she take care of you?" _I remember her smiling when she talked about her._

"Yes!" Shizuru's mood did a one-eighty as she beamed up at Natsuki.

Kuga smiled softly back at her girlfriend's bright grin. A smile definitely looks better on her.

"But Natsuki's going to have to wait for the whole story behind that," Shizuru smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, my Natsuki. Please wait a little while longer."

The biker nodded, respecting Shizuru's request. She told me she'll tell me when she's ready. I'll just have to wait. "Wait," The brunette's words caught her attention. She looked back down into curious red eyes. "_'_My' Natsuki?"

Shizuru smiled playfully, "Yes, _my_ Natsuki. You're my Natsuki because you're my girlfriend. I own Natsuki's lips; I own Natsuki's pillows and I will soon own the rest of her body as well." The candy store owner wrapped her arms around Natsuki and snuggled her face into the dentist's stomach.

Natsuki rolled her eyes, "Yeah, yeah."

A perverse giggle came from her abdomen, "And I will conquer the place between Natsuki's legs and claim it for my own!"

"Okay, that's it!" Natsuki stood up, making Shizuru stumbling harmlessly onto the ground. "We're sitting across from each other until you can keep your urges under control!"

"No!" Shizuru whined childishly as she stood up. "I need Natsuki's warmth!" She started to chase Kuga around the Ferris wheel's carriage.

"You should have thought of that before you started having perverted thoughts! And you call _me_ ecchi! Listen to yourself!"

"I can't help it! Natsuki's sexy body is a turn on!"

People down below watched the red, suspiciously rocking Ferris wheel carriage at the way top, wondering what could possibly make it rock so much... Unless they were…

And thus the rumour of the Lover's Carriage started: if two lovers were to go into the red carriage and stop at the very top, their love would be sealed and nothing could come between them.

* * *

"The merry-go-round? Are you serious?" Natsuki gave Shizuru a dull stare.

"Yeah! I haven't been on one since I was little! Natsuki should get on with me," Shizuru smiled warmly.

"Ha. No." Natsuki walked over to a nearby bench and sat down, taking out a map of the amusement park. "How about you ride the merry-go-round while I map out the rest of the rides for us?"

Shizuru sighed, disappointed. She trekked over to the merry-go-round, one of the few rides with an extremely short line. She got on after the current riders got off and walked around, trying to find a good horse. If she was going to ride alone, she was going to ride alone in _style_!

She found a light blue horse and smiled, finding something endearing about it. Almost the feeling Natsuki gave her when they were together. Almost. In fact, it even had a scowl on its face much like the one Natsuki has on her face whenever she tries to get a piggy-back from the dentist. She chuckled, her thoughts floating to a nearby raven-haired beauty.

"Do you need help mounting, ma'am?"

"Ara?" Shizuru turned her head to see a young boy looking expectantly at her. She frowned, confused, "Why would I need help mounting Natsuki?"

The boy frowned back, his own confusion building. _She named the horse?_ "Well, ma'am, you were just standing there so I figured—"

"You figured incorrectly. I'm certain in my abilities when the time comes that I'll be able to mount her just fine!" She replied huffily before getting on the horse.

He blinked, taken aback. _She gave it a gender too?..._ He looked at the horse. _Well, it_ is_ a light blue color…_ He frowned, realizing his own train of thought. _Whatever._ He shook his head, "Have a good time, ma'am." He walked over to a little kid having trouble.

------------------------

Fujino smirked to herself as they walked through the haunted mansion. There were little kids that came to this park so it wasn't particularly scary, but that didn't stop Shizuru from clinging to Natsuki's arm tightly as they walked.

Shizuru wasn't scared of these kinds of things, but Kuga didn't need to know that.

A zombie came out roaring from their right and Shizuru clung tighter, keeping her act up.

Natsuki chuckled. Who knew Shizuru was scared of these kinds of things? "Don't worry, I'll protect you." She flexed her right arm lightly as a show of strength.

"Ara, my saviour," Shizuru said, kissing Natsuki's left cheek, giggling as she saw it flare up.

"Of course," Natsuki looked away, trying to hide her blushing face.

Shizuru's eyes gleamed mischievously. Time to put her plan into action! "My saviour deserves a reward," She kissed the cheek again.

"S-sure?" Natsuki's reply sounded more like a question due to her confusion.

"Good," Shizuru lightly pushed Natsuki against a nearby wall and pressed close, kissing her nose before going for her mouth. Her hands started to wander down her girlfriend's body.

"O-oi!" Natsuki growled out between kisses, "You lied about being scared of these things!" She said as she caught on. "You just wanted to feel me up!" She tried to swat away the brunette's touchy-feely hands. "I thought we agreed to keep this to just kisses to start with!"

Shizuru frowned, "You wanna keep this at a hand-free level for now, _fine_!" She aimed for Natsuki's neck and struck.

"Ow!" Natsuki yelled when she felt the candy store owner's energetic teeth attempt to mark her, scaring a couple of kids farther down.

Natsuki walked outside the haunted mansion, a frown on her features, along with a full-blown blush. She cupped the right side of her neck with her hand, grumbling words like, "Stupid airheaded, hyperactive nympho…" to herself.

Shizuru walked out after her and could be seen apologizing with words like, "But I couldn't help myself! Natsuki's neck looked too delicious to pass up! Please forgive me!"

Natsuki refused to go into the 'over flowingly pink' dark ride they saw earlier for similar reasons. She figured they'd had enough 'kissing time: dark room edition' for one amusement park visit.

---------------------------

Apparently, she was forgiven because the two stopped by the arcade, Natsuki boasting that she was a pro at the crane game. As such, she got them both matching cell phone charms.

And after drinking hot coco (Shizuru insisted they share a cup, much to Natsuki's embarrassment) they headed over to the fun house… where Shizuru almost got lost. Luckily, Natsuki backtracked at the distressed call of her partner and lead her through the Room of Mirrors. They walked hand-in-hand after that to make sure neither of them separated from each other.

"That's a stupid ride," Shizuru huffed. "Who'd want to go through something like that?"

"I didn't see you complaining when we first arrived." Natsuki smirked, "In fact, it looked like you were having more fun than most of the kids as we walked through the Crazy Pathway."

"Of course I did! The ground turned and air blew from all over!" Fujino regained her bright, childlike smile. "Then it felt like I was walking backwards!"

Natsuki sighed, shaking her head, "It sometimes feels like I'm taking care of a kid." _But that's just Shizuru, I guess._ Kuga smiled, squeezing the hand of her girlfriend as they walked side-by-side.

* * *

It was getting late, the sun was starting to set and the rays reflected off the small layer of snow, turning Funland an orange hue. Shizuru smiled as she looked at the scenes, feeling nothing but happiness as this past day replayed in her head.

She was sitting at the bench in front of the bathrooms, waiting for Natsuki to come out so they could do the last couple rides and then leave. She sighed contently, leaning back and closing her eyes, wishing that, somehow this day wouldn't end.

"Excuse me, ma'am?"

Shizuru peered open her left eye to see who called her. She assumed it was her that was addressed, seeing as how the area was empty when she closed her eyes. She looked up to see a man in a blue jumpsuit peering down at her from over his cigarette. "Yes?"

"You're the woman who got the job, right?" He asked, although, it sounded more like a statement.

Shizuru furrowed her brows slightly, leaning back up and opening her other eye, "Pardon?"

"C'mon then, the dressing room's just this way," The guy said, reaching onto his belt loop and searching for a specific key. He was a good ten feet into the outdoor hallways when he stopped in front of a door labelled 'Employees Only'. He fidgeted with the key and opened the door. He looked back at Shizuru and continued, "I know it was you because the description said a brunette woman.

Shizuru caught up to the man, "I'm sorry sir, but I think you have the wrong—"

The man coughed a bit into his sleeve after forcing the key into the candy store owner's hands, "It's hanging up right there. Lock up when you exit."

_What's hanging up?_ Shizuru turned her confused gaze toward the locker room and gasped at what she saw. Her features turned into a smile that grew by the second; her red eyes shone brightly with childlike glee. _It's so cute!_ She inwardly gushed.

---

Natsuki walked outside, drying off her hands with a paper towel and looking around. "Shizuru?" She saw the empty bench the brunette said she'd wait for her at. Kuga frowned. _Great, she probably ran off after the guy selling the popcorn,_ She deadpanned in her thoughts before she looked around the area. _At least she couldn't have gotten far. And if I get desperate, I'll just call her cell._

The noirette threw away the paper towel and walked into the open area around the outside rest stop. All she could see was a bunch of kids crowding around the amusement park's mascot as he handed out lollipops to them. _She's not around here…_ Natsuki's scowl deepened, _Then why do I get the distinct feeling she's not that far away._

Green eyes looked back to the bear mascot, Kuma-kun, and alarm bells went off in her head. _She can't be… Could she?... Nah._ Natsuki chuckled to herself at the absurd thought. Besides, where would she get the park's mascot outfit if she wasn't an employee?

Her breath hitched when the thought of Shizuru tackling a poor employee to the ground and taking his costume came to mind. _B-but she wouldn't do something like that, would she? I mean, she can get a little rough at times but come on…_ The image of last time she doubted Shizuru snuck its way into her thoughts. The time she stuck her tongue on that streetlamp!

"SHIZURU!" Kuga called out, starting off in a sprint toward Kuma-kun and the little kids.

The person in the bear costume looked up and faulted in their actions at seeing Natsuki run their way. They looked this way and that before taking off in the opposite direction, the large and flat lollipops still in their right hand.

"Shizuru, get back here!" Natsuki yelled, jumping her arms so she could run faster. She knew that if she could keep this up, she'd catch up in no time.

She then saw little kids right behind her out of the corner of her eye, chasing after her. "It's the zombie woman!" She heard one boy yell. "The zombie woman's attacking Kuma-kun! Get 'er!" The other kids hollered as they took off after Natsuki and the person in the park's mascot outfit.

-Natsuki vaguely remembered what happened at the play house: they weren't aloud in so Shizuru got the 'brilliant' idea to sneak in, dragging Kuga along with her. They made their way to the ball pit when Shizuru suddenly pushed Natsuki in, making the biker fall in deep. Shizuru started to panic once Natsuki didn't surface after a while and was about to call for help when Natsuki's hand suddenly surfaced, grasping the brunette's leg. Shizuru, in a fit of hysteria, called the word, "ZOMBIE!!" Scaring all the little kids in the ball pit.

They weren't punished but instead let off with a whack on the head and warning not to go into the little kid's play house again, least security be called to escort them out of the park.-

"Great!" Natsuki growled out, feeling a tick start to form in her eyebrow. "It's the little kids from the play house!" But not all hope was lost! The biker found herself catching up to the person in the bear costume. She smirked when she was about five feet behind her. "Give it up, Shizuru!" She said triumphantly.

However, Kuma-kun had other plans. The person lifted the headpiece of the costume and undid a wrapper on one of the lollipops before sticking it inside the head before using both arms to pump again.

Green eyes widened. _Oh no!_ She could practically hear the old RPG level-up chime ringing as the person closed reapplied the head. "_Shizuru just gained one agility point and two speed points!" _The figurative status bar popped up. Before Natsuki could catch the person, they took off twice as fast as before, shocking not only Natsuki, by many others watching the scene, "Holy shit!" The head dentist exclaimed in awe as the person zoomed out in front, gaining distance between the two runners.

At least this whole scene helped Kuga in one way: it confirmed Fujino was the one inside the Kuma-kun costume.

---

Seven minutes and three lollipops later, they both stood at the center of the park, panting up a storm as they tried to regain their breath. Shizuru had the headpiece off and Natsuki was bending over the fountain.

The dentist turned to glare at Shizuru, "It's called cheating if you use items to level up that fast!"

Red eyes turned a confused stare to her girlfriend, "What?"

Natsuki frowned at her own statement, realizing what she just said, "Never mind that." She continued to pant, facing the exhausted brunette. "What I meant to say was, 'Why did you run from me?'"

"Natsuki was scary as she ran at me!" She puffed, "My fight or flight instincts kicked in and I ran!"

The dentist sat down on the cold surface of the fountain, feeling the icy cold even through her pants. "Whatever." She then looked at the costume the Kyoto-born was wearing. It looked extremely cute on the brunette, but that was completely beside the point. "Why do you have a Kuma-kun costume?"

"There was a mix-up and I was told to wear it and hand out lollipops to children," The candy store owner answered, taking Natsuki's lead and sitting next to her.

"You could have told them it wasn't you."

"But then I wouldn't have been able to wear this cute costume!" Shizuru smiled.

Kuga face palmed, "… Let's just go return it before we cause any more trouble."

"Actually, I could take it now, if you like." This time, the person that addressed the two was a female voice. They turned around to see a brunette smiling down at them, but instead of Shizuru's red eyes, she had a bright blue. "You're wearing my costume." The person clarified, seeing the confused, tired expression on their faces.

Shizuru, taking that as a hint, tried to get out of the costume. Luckily, she was still wearing all her clothes from before under the suit. She handed it over, "I'm sorry, miss…?"

The person smiled, taking the mascot outfit into her hands, "I'm Aoi Senoh. My girlfriend, Chie Harada, works here at a popcorn stand and I was in need of a job so she managed to get me one, seeing as how the last person that wore this costume doesn't work here anymore." Movement caught the blue-eyed woman's attention, "Ah! Here she comes."

The charcoal-haired woman came running up, panting up a storm, "Jesus you run fast." Drowsy brown eyes looked at Natsuki, addressing the statement toward her. "How the hell did you both keep that up so long? I had to run after you guys the whole way around!"

Natsuki, feeling sorry for the poor woman, gave her an apologetic smile, "I work out a bit." She offered an answer. She then studied the woman's attire, recognizing it as a standard from many of the stands stationed around the park: the signature red and white stripes was kind of hard to miss. "Sorry about the trouble we've caused, Harada-san."

"I hope we didn't ruin anything," Shizuru said, suddenly worried about the couple they were talking to. What if they got fired because of her?!

"Nah," Chie grinned, leaning back up to her full height, "Don't worry about it. I'll smooth things out over with the boss. You two just enjoy the rest of your time."

Natsuki smiled, "Thank you. We will." She said before watching the other couple walk away, back toward the way they came.

* * *

Shizuru clung to Natsuki's arm as they walked toward the bus stop to catch a ride home via public transportation. They were in a content silence, neither of them saying a word as they walked down the street.

Natsuki had her hands in her jacket pocket and Shizuru's arm was linked with her girlfriend. Yes, this was the perfect way to end their amusement park fun.

Shizuru smiled a tired expression on her face as they walked in the dark. "We should go there again some time," She said, breaking the content silence by starting a conversation.

"Mm," Kuga nodded her head lightly in agreement. "Yeah, it was fun."

Shizuru giggled mischievously as she leaned in closer to her girlfriend, whispering in her ear, "Maybe I can drag Natsuki onto the Slightshot and Backpeddle once more."

"In your dreams!" Natsuki shot back a little sharper than she meant to. "Er, sorry." She said, realizing she yelled right into the candy store owner's ear.

"That's alright," Fujino replied after the ringing stopped in her ears. "Natsuki can repay me by going onto the Slightshot and Backpeddle once more."

"You don't give up, do you woman," Kuga sighed, shaking her head.

"I thought you would have realized that by now," The brunette said, ending her sentence with a kiss on Natsuki's cheek, enjoying the warmth they admitted after flaring up. She snuggled her cheek against Natsuki's sighing contently, "Much better." She was using her partner's cheek as a heater for hers.

Red eyes glinted before the airhead started up again, "Ara, then Natsuki can take me through the Love Tunnel!" She mentioned the 'over flowingly pink' dark ride once more.

Green eyes stared dully ahead, "Why, so you can make out with me?"

"Isn't that what they're there for?" Came Shizuru's cheeky reply.

Before the biker could respond back, a particularly shady character came out from a nearby alleyway, "Hey girlies," He started, his smile sending alarm bells through Natsuki's head. "How's about you two come to my place tonight? A couple of beauties like you would definitely enjoy the company of me and my boys, right?" The guy looked back into the alleyway where two more men appeared, their stares nothing less than hungry.

And they definitely don't look like the starved kind of hungry, Natsuki glared straight at the leader, moving in front of Shizuru. She stood in between the men and the frightened candy store owner. "Go find your own girlfriend, this one's mine." She declared, subtly moving her right foot back into a defensive stance.

The leader frowned, "Fuckin' lesbos," He sneered, his lip curling in disgust. He then smirked, taking a daring step forward. "Well, how about you let a man show you what it's like to enjoy real pleasure." His grin turned almost maniacal as he reached for Kuga's wrist.

The martial artist sent her leg straight up, kicking the guy's chin before bringing it back down. Not missing a beat, she pivoted on her left foot and slammed the sole of her foot deep into the guy's gut, making him double over, gasping for breath.

"Shizuru! Go and hide! I'll call you later when I'm done with these guys," She ordered, not taking her eyes off the pair that started to run at her, armed with switchblades and knuckle braces.

Shizuru looked from the man, back to Natsuki. Was she really planning on taking on all of these oversized gang members, "But what about yo—"

"_NOW_," Kuga yelled in such a way that it left no room for argument. The brunette stumbled a little as she took off, the slippery ground making her falter slightly before she recovered her footing. She started to run once more but something caught her attention; she turned to see what it was and gasped in horror.

"Bloody fuckin' dyke!" The leader snarled, starting to regain his composure.

Kuga pulled up her hands, blocking her torso with her arms, her eyes flickered to the leader, figuring she could knock him out quickly to make this a little easier. She quickly brought her heel down onto the leader's head, hoping that it was enough strength to knock him out.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a brass knuckle headed her way. She ducked into the punch, twisting so she was facing the same direction of the guy and grabbed the arm above her. Using the force of his own punch, she guided the man over her shoulder and onto the pavement underneath. She watched that man slide for a second or two on the sidewalk before turning her attention to the third man.

He was a little more cautious so he started to circle around. Natsuki followed suit, keeping her guard and hands up, side-stepping slowly, in pace with the last man. He bit his bottom lip, a sign showing that he was getting anxious; the hand that held the large switchblade shook a little, impatient to slash out at the woman in front of him.

He lunged out, his arm striking out far in front of his body and aiming for Natsuki's torso. Natsuki dodged to the side, kicking her knee out so he'd run right into it. He bent over at the blow and Kuga took the opportunity to use her knee again; this time, she kneed upward, sticking him in the stomach while he was bent over.

His body lifted slightly and the biker sent her elbow into his back in a two-hit combo. He fell to the ground, onto his stomach, groaning in pain. The noirette quickly bent down and grabbed his wrist, standing up and quickly twisting it in an unnatural direction so he cried out and let go of the knife. She then hastily picked the knife up off the ground and threw it a safe distance away.

_This should keep them down for a bit, _She thought, her first priority making sure that Shizuru got to a safe place. She froze in horror when she heard a familiar gasp. _Shizuru!_

"Natsuki, watch out!" Fujino's voice rang through Kuga's ears making her turn around quickly. Even with all the adrenaline pumping through her body, she still couldn't dodge what came next:

As soon as she spun around, she saw a wicked grin on a fourth guy's face. Her eyes then caught on something silver shining in the nearby store's light, _A baseball bat!_ Her mind recognized just in time for it to connect with her left shoulder blade in one harsh swing.

The sound of her own bones cracking resounded in her ear as she started to fall. Searing pain soared through her body, causing her to cry out in anguish. Her body connected to the ground, sending yet another wave of unbearable pain stringing through her nerves system.

The last thing she heard before she blacked out was the grief-stricken shriek of her girlfriend calling out her name, "_**NATSUKI!!**_"

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Ohmaigod cliffhanger! DX

Please vote on the poll on my profile! It has to deal with which stories you all wanted updated next. -bows-

Please review as well! :D


	12. Calm Before the Storm

So... how've you all been these past... whoa, three years? Time flies. o_O A lot has stuff has happened to me and in the end, I have waned away from fanfiction. That said, I've felt guilty these last few years because I left you all at one hell of a cliffhanger. However, I couldn't write the next chapter because after that cliffhanger, my muse for this story up and left me until about three days ago where it popped in just long enough for me to finish this chapter.

Will I write fanfiction anymore? I honestly don't know. I write original stuff now and I'd rather focus on that. Who knows though; I might update something once in a blue moon.

Sorry for any inconsistencies that might come up. On my computer I have rewritten versions of the previous chapters, but I can't remember if I updated them or not. In any case, any information that's found in this chapter is the updated information so go by what's said here. My writing style has probably changed seeing as how it has been a while. I hope I'm still funny enough. o_o

**littlefirebird** was kind enough to beta for me so if you see any mistakes, blame them on her. :D And now that I'm done pushing my responsibilities onto somebody else, here's the chapter! Please review? ^^

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Natsuki could hear a slow, steady beeping in the background, images from her dream quickly slipping away and soon forgotten. Her limbs felt like lead, as if she hadn't used them in days, and there was a heavy pressure pushing down against her waist. A cold shudder coursed through her otherwise motionless body.

_Beep…_

Her green eyes slowly fluttered open, her mind still drowsy, _I feel like I'm forgetting something important. Like my dream was trying to remind me of something._ She blinked a couple times, scanning the unfamiliar ceiling as she tried to clear her head.

_Beep…_

_What happened?_ Natsuki strained her hazy mind to remember. _I was walking home from the amusement park with Shizuru before four men attacked us. Everything after that is a blur._

_Beep…_

The dentist frowned thoughtfully, _I'm sure it'll come back to me eventually._ Her gaze traveled downward as she started to lean up on her good arm, _Now, where am- … Is… _Natsuki blinked, _… Is that Shizuru's chest?_

A relieved gasp came, "Natsuki, you're awake!" Shizuru straddled Natsuki's waist, the front of her blouse lifted above her chest, revealing a tasteful red bra only two feet away from Natsuki's face.

_Beep… Beep… Beep… Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep!beep!beep!beep!beep!…_ The heart monitor next to Natsuki hospital bed started to go haywire.

"W-w-what're you doing?!" Natsuki exclaimed, her face as bright as a cherry.

"Hm?" Shizuru looked down, "Oh this? Well, you were shivering so I figured I'd lay down with you to warm you up!" she beamed.

"You can do that with your shirt _on_!"

"But then how am I supposed to exchange body heat with Natsuki?" Shizuru pouted.

"It works even with clothes on," Natsuki responded, unimpressed.

"Yes, but it's so hard to grope you with that hospital scrub on."

"…" A moment of silence passed before Natsuki reached over and pushed the panic button next to her cot.

"Natsuki, of course I'm joking!" Shizuru reprimanded. "I haven't done anything like that to you yet!"

"'_Yet_'?!"

Just then the door slammed open and a woman ran in with an air of urgency, "Kuga-san! Are you alright– Oh." All the woman's panicked energy drained out of her she looked upon the scene with a deadpan glare, "Fujino-san… I should have known."

The brunette glanced over her shoulder and gave a charming smile, still holding her shirt up around her collarbone, "Ara, Sagisawa-sensei! Good morning; lovely to see you again."

"'Good afternoon,' you mean. You've been in here for the past four hours." Youko sighed, shifting into a casual pose, "If I've told you once, I'd told you a thousand times: quit harassing my patient."

"And I've replied just as many times: this is perfectly normal in our relationship," Shizuru responded matter-of-factly.

"Unfortunately," Natsuki added.

Youko raised an eyebrow at Natsuki's confirmation that this was, indeed, normal for the couple. She quickly moved on, "Kuga-san, about four minutes ago we received notification of a dangerous spike in your heart rate and I rushed over." The doctor continued, walking towards the hospital bed, "However, I believe I've figured out the cause and will promptly take care of it." Youko reached over and yanked Shizuru's shirt down whilst giving the candy storeowner a pointed look.

Shizuru pouted, "I was going to warm Natsuki with my body."

"You can 'warm her up' all you want later," Youko responded while reaching for the clipboard at the end of Natsuki's bed, "but now that she's awake, I need to check up on her."

Natsuki frowned, confused, "Wait, people are allowed to stay in the bed with patients?"

Blue eyes met green, "Normally no, but we make an exception for Fujino-san, least any more of our security team suffer from bouts of amnesia."

"Amnesia?"

"Mm, it started the first night you were staying here, Fujino-san insisted that she be allowed to stay past visiting hours and sleep with you. After about twenty minutes of trying to reason with her, we finally resorted to having two security guards escort her out. We sent in two of our guys, but five minutes later they came back out, empty-handed. When we asked what happened, they said they couldn't remember. They tried again, but came up with the same results.

"We tried again with two more teams of guys, but they didn't fare any better. After that, we figured it'd just be best to let the two lovebirds rest together; the last thing we need are security men with spotty memory."

Natsuki was staring at Shizuru's innocent look, _What did you do to those poor men?_

Shizuru responded by simply making a zipping motion across her mouth, her red eyes glinting mischievously.

"Anyway, I'm going to ask you some questions for documentation purposes. Is that alright?" At Natsuki's nod, Youko began, "Can you recall anything from the attack three days ago?"

"Three days ago?" _Was I really out that long?_

Youko explained, "You received a concussion from a blow to the shoulder three days ago. The pain caused you to black out. At around 5:08 p.m. the hospital received a call from Yuuki-san and we rushed out an ambulance picking up you and four men."

"Four men… The guys that ambushed us?"

"Ah, so you remember, that's good. No sign of memory loss…" The doctor mumbled the last part to herself as she continued to write on the clipboard.

Shizuru jumped in at Natsuki impatient look, "Yuuki-san and your other friends arrived soon after the man hit your shoulder. She jumped in and grabbed a lead pipe just in time to block another blow."

"Great, this means I owe her. She's going to be gloating about 'how she saved my ass' for weeks," she grumbled, causing Shizuru to giggle at Natsuki's scowling pout. _Wait, why were they there in the first place?_

"As for your injuries, your left humerus, your upper arm bone, has an oblique fracture. That means it's been split apart at an angle. It's nothing too serious, we've already gone in and fixed you up and put the stitches in, but it'll take some time to heal. Second is your left scapula, your shoulder blade. It's not as bad as your arm, it's still in one piece, but it did splinter a bit on impact. It's not any cause for worry, but we ask that you don't move it much and let the bone heal itself.

"We've gone ahead given you a shoulder and upper-arm brace. I'm going to have you stay one more night here in the hospital and if you're feeling up to it, you're free to leave tomorrow," Youko finished with a smile.

Natsuki responded in kind. "Thanks, doc."

Youko chuckled. "No problem. Healing people is what I do." She then turned back to Shizuru who was _still_ sitting on her girlfriend's lap, "As for _you_, you're going home at the end of visiting hours."

Shizuru mock-gasped. "But doctor! How ever will I administer my healing aura if I cannot have _skin-on-skin contact_?" Shizuru asked, enjoying the flush of her girlfriend's cheeks light up in her peripheral vision.

"I'm pretty sure she'll manage." She then shook her head and turned back to her patient, "I'm going to ask that you come back in a couple weeks so we can check up on how you're doing. Does your insurance cover this all?"

Natsuki had to fight down a grin. How many times has she asked that same question throughout her career? "Yeah, I can pay for it." She admitted it wasn't the most appealing job, but being a dentist paid well. So why did she live in an apartment on her kind of salary? She simply didn't see the point of one person living in a house when she can live comfortably in a smaller space.

_But my apartment is a little small for two people. Maybe I should start house searching… Wait!_ She had to fight down _yet another_ blush, _What are you thinking, stupid?! She's not living w-with you that way! She's just staying at your place while her place is getting fixed… She'll move out when her apartment is done…_ Suddenly, Natsuki's heart felt really heavy.

"Natsuki?"

At Shizuru's voice, green eyes looked up and met with red. Youko had exited the room by now. The candy-store owner had a concerned look as she regarded the younger woman, "You look sad. What's wrong?"

_I do?_ Natsuki tried move her right hand but quickly flinched when pain shot of her arm. She couldn't move it much anyway because of the two braces strapped around her torso. She quickly scrambled to make an excuse, "Um, my injury. I'm not going to be able to work like this, so Mai and Mikoto have to fill my slots." She gave the best smile she could muster at this point.

Shizuru didn't look convinced and Natsuki couldn't blame her. Those excuses sounded bad even to her. But still, Shizuru only showed her discontent for a second before putting on an easy smile, sparing Natsuki form a real explanation, "Ara, is Natsuki disappointed I won't be able to work my healing aura on her body?"

Natsuki blushed, remembering the emphasis Shizuru put on 'skin-on-skin' contact earlier, "Idiot! As if I'd–" She paused, blinking. "Wait, just Natsuki? No -chan?" She then remembered their confessions. "Oh right, the ferris wheel."

"Yes, just Natsuki. No -chan."

Shizuru's had face softened as she looked at Natsuki and it took the dentist a couple seconds to recognize the look in Shizuru's eyes. _Love._ Natsuki found herself unable to look away, her face all aglow. "Shi-Shizuru…" It was all she could manage under that caring gaze.

Shizuru smiled and shifted forward on the cot, pressing a small kiss to her girlfriend's forehead, "Get better soon, okay?" She giggled softly at Natsuki's shy, mumbled reply and couldn't resist giving those cute lips a quick peck, "My brave Natsuki-knight…"

The door suddenly slammed open, causing both of them to jump. "BUBUZUKE!" came the angry roar of a lion. Or a pissed off assistant manager. Either-or.

"A-ara…" Shizuru trailed off, the color draining from her face a bit. "Haruka, what a pleasant-"

"Don't give me any of that! You've been skipping out on work for the past three days! Three!" In stormed said blonde, holding up three fingers in emphasis.

"Haruka-chan, this is a hospital," Yukino tried to calm the other down. "We have to be quiet."

"I am being quiet!" Haruka answered loudly.

Reito walked in and took over the conversation for fear of getting kicked out just as they arrived. "So this is where you've been hiding, Shizuru-chan. We had to leave Tate manning the store just to find you."

"Of course! I couldn't very well leave Natsuki alone, now could I?"

Reito eyed the two, seeing their close proximity and had to bit down a smirk, "I see."

Natsuki was trying to get Shizuru off her lap at Reito's knowing look. "Get off!" she whispered so only Shizuru could see, pushing at the other's legs. Instead of getting off, Shizuru made a show of sprawling out on top of her girlfriend, causing said girlfriend to freeze up under her. Still, she looked at her friend and coworker as if she were lounging casually on a couch, "You see, it gets very cold at night in the hospital, so I took it upon myself to sleep at her side to keep her warm."

_"Shi-shizuru…"_

"Such self-sacrifice should be commended," Reito joked.

_"In front of everyone…"_

"Indeed."

Unable to take it any more, Haruka broke in, "You disapprove for three days and we find you cuddling in a hospital bed?!"

"It's 'disappear,' Haruka-chan."

"I don't care what word it is, we're taking her back to work right now!" She reached over and grabbed each of Shizuru's legs and started to pull.

Shizuru let out a yelp and quickly clung onto one of the side-bars on Natsuki's cot, holding on desperately as Haruka pulled. The bed started to swerve, even when the wheels were locked; Reito and Yukino scrambled to the other side to pull on the other bar and try to keep the bed straight, fearing for Natsuki should any of the equipment malfunction. All the while Natsuki tried to keep injured her arm steady, but it was becoming difficult.

After another push of the panic button and a heavy reprimand from a nurse, Shizuru was standing with her friends inside Natsuki's room, the five of them catching their breath.

"You know," Natsuki started, "now that it's been brought up, I don't think I've ever seen you work, Shizuru. I'm starting to think you don't."

Shizuru pouted, "Ikezu, Natsuki. I'll have you know I went to culinary school and started my business after moving here from Kyoto."

"I don't believe you went to culinary school," Natsuki stated bluntly, skepticism written all over her face.

"And why not?"

"You burnt down your apartment by leaving cooking oil right next to a burning oven."

Shizuru sniffed indignantly, "That was only a one-time thing."

"It shouldn't happen at all!"

Haruka spoke. "I hate to admit it but she's right, Kuga. We were in culinary school with her and when we all graduated, we moved out here to start a shop. She's kept our business up and running for nearly ten years now."

She looked at her girlfriend and tried to picture her as business-savvy. "Still kind of hard to believe."

"Answer me, Kuga, if you would be so kind: how many specialty shops do you know of on this island that sell sweet treats?" Reito asked.

Natsuki used her good hand as she counted, "Well, there's Shizuru's for starters… Then there's that one chocolate shop that opened eight months ago- no, wait. It closed down four months back." She started again, "There's Shizuru's and then…" Natsuki went down Fuuka in her mind street-by-street, her eyes widening bit-by-bit when no other places came to mind. _Wait… that can't mean-_

Natsuki look up and was met by the most deviously satisfied smiled she'd ever seen cross Shizuru face. "Go on…" Shizuru drawled, nearly purred, looking very much like the cat that caught the canary. Natsuki felt a shiver run down her spine, not the good kind.

"There's only yours…" Natsuki answered shakily. She reasons she couldn't quite put into words, Natsuki was suddenly very happy she had never even considered taking up cooking as a career choice.

"And has been for almost the whole time our shop has been running," Yukino ended.

"That chocolate shop didn't stand a chance," Reito sighed, shaking his head almost sympathetically.

"She brought it down in four months, that's got to be a record or something," Haruka added.

Shizuru was in a mode Natuski had never seen her in before. She wore a business smile, pleasant and inviting, but aloof at the same time. It was the type of expression Natsuki saw on CEOs in movies she watched, never expecting to find it so naturally placed on her girlfriend's face. "Ara, I just figured it was high time we had a chocolate event. I can't really help it if only one cocoa manufacturer is willing to ship to Fuuka and they had limited stock readily available."

This was a side of Shizuru she hadn't seen, the side when Shizuru really got down to business and put her all into her work. Was this the side that all her competition see, Natsuki wondered, the hard-working one with a mind for business and a strong ambition? Or did they see the happy-go-lucky, carefree one that loved to push Natsuki's buttons, just to sooth her into a pleasant lull. How many more sides did the mystery that was Shizuru have?

_I barely know anything about her,_ Natsuki concluded.

Shizuru tilted her head. "Natsuki? You have a very peculiar look on your face. What's up?" And just like that Shizuru was back to the way Natsuki knew her, bright eyes and a happy smile on her face.

But I'm sure I'll see every side of her eventually. Until then, I'll just have to wait. Natsuki smiled back, "Nothing major. Just something I thought of."

Shizuru was about to respond, but Haruka grabbed her collar and started to drag her towards the door. "I don't want to go! Natsuki~!" Shizuru whined, reaching back for her girlfriend. All she found though was Natsuki waving her goodbye with an amused grin on her face.

The door closed behind them and Natsuki adjusted her cot into an upright position. _Finally, nice and quiet._ She leaned back into the mattress before hearing her stomach growl. _I wonder when lunch is served. Not that I'm looking forward to hospital food,_ she grimaced.

Just then a knock came and the door parted to reveal her three closest friends. They all look relieved upon seeing her, but Nao quickly schooled her face into an indifferent look. They walked in, Mai and Mikoto going up to Natsuki at the bed while Nao leaned against the wall nearby.

"We heard you woke up," Mai started. "We thought you might be hungry." At this, she held out a platter of the food being served downstairs and asked Mikoto to open up the cot's built-in tray. At the sight of the food being set down in front of her, Natsuki could feel her stomach quietly growl. Seems she was hungrier than she thought she was.

"We also thought you might be dead," Nao finally piped up, her trademark smirk on her face as she eyed the braces on Natsuki's left side, "but you seem to still be alive and kicking. Thanks to me."

_Oh great. Here it comes._ "Barely. You couldn't have jumped in any sooner?"

"Hey, I can only guarantee saving your life. I can't guarantee what condition it's going to be in," Nao answered with a smug grin on her face. She started to inspect her nails, "Oh yeah, I'll be expecting that pay raise in a couple days, _boss_."

Natsuki rolled her eyes. "Don't hold your breath."

"Cheapskate." Nao glared from over her nails.

Mai broke in smoothly. "I thought for sure Fujino-san would be here. She's been worried sick and has barely left your side these past few days."

_Shizuru…_ Natsuki couldn't help but smile. "She left a couple minutes ago. Her friends are dragging her back to work."

"Ah," Mai laughed.

"Speaking of work, we need to discuss work." Natsuki gestured to her healing arm, "Seems I won't be able to move this arm for a while."

"We came to see how you were doing and you start talking about work?" Mai sighed, "Then again, I really shouldn't have expected otherwise."

"This needs to be discussed. I'm down a dentist because of my arm and now I only have one certified dentist and an intern."

"You should really see about hiring more people, Natsuki. We're getting more popular and the work load is getting tough."

Natsuki nodded. _I know, I know…_ She was just wary of new people. Nao was her childhood friend and she met Mai at med school. It had taken her a while to open up to Mikoto a few years back, and now she'll have to employ more people. She turned to the redhead, "Can you see about opening up a couple positions and put up an ad online?"

"Can you see about getting me a bigger office space?"

Natsuki was about to retort in her usual dismissive manner but paused. _If I'm going to get more employees, then our building is currently not be big enough for more people. Nao's going to need more office space for files and such._ She sighed, _Looks like I'll have to renovate the whole building. _Good thing her job paid as much as it did. "Looks like we'll be expanding a lot of things soon." And wasn't she just thinking about buying a bigger house earlier? _Why does it feel like I'm taking a step forward in my life?_ she thought, fighting down a blush.

Nao blinked, not expecting the answer she got. Her face then broke out into a rare, genuine grin. "Yes! Fucking finally!"

Mai cheered, "You hear that, Mikoto? We're going to expand the building and hire new people!"

Mikoto frowned, "But I like being with Mai, Nao, and Natsuki."

"We'll still be with you, but now we'll also have a couple more people around the shop."

"Like, more friends?" At Mai's nod, the intern's face brightened and she jumped to huge Mai tightly, "Yay, more people!"

Natsuki grimaced, _Ugh, more interns._ But seeing her friends' happy faces at the news led her to believe she made the right choice. "Anyway, you guys already have your days filled for the next couple months so we'll have to cancel mine and give the customers refunds."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll get on it," Nao said, walking over and taking Natsuki's banana. She ignored the glare that followed and started to munch on the fruit. "Consider this payment for me saving your ass," she said between mouthfuls.

Mai laughed, "You say that now, but you were the one pacing back and forth in the hall after they carted Natsuki into the emergency room."

"Oh?" Natsuki smirked. "Why, Nao, I didn't know you cared!"

"I don't!" the redhead quickly retorted, her cheeks pinking in embarrassment. "As if I'd care about a stupid mutt like you!" At the sound of her three friend's laughter, she huffed and leaned back against the wall, trying to salvage some of her cool.

The laughter died down and Natsuki smiled, "Thanks, Nao."

Nao glanced back before grinning herself, "Damn right you are."

They four chatted for a while as Natsuki ate her lunch, such as filling Natsuki in on what's happened in the last three days, and Natsuki mourning not being able to drive her motorcycle for a while. During a lull in the conversation, Kuga suddenly remembered something:

"Oh yeah, I never did ask: how did you arrive at the fight scene so fast?"

"Er!" Nao froze for a second before stiffly walking towards the door. "I-I'll be going now. Just remembered I got to… um, do laundry…"

"Nuh-uh." Mai grabbed Nao by the arm as she passed by. "This was your plan, so _you're_ going to explain it."

Natsuki frowned. "'Plan'?" She didn't like where this was going.

Before Nao could even try to cover it up, Mikoto quickly jumped in, "Yeah! Mai, Nao and I were watching your and Shizuru's date!"

Nao felt a shiver go up her spine, not even having to turn around to know there was a deadly glare on Natsuki's face. "Oh yeah?" Natsuki's voice was low and foreboding.

"Yep!" Mikoto nodded enthusiastically. "Your girlfriend is really fast in that bear outfit! Oh, and Nao said you were going to mess up your date somehow so we should go along to help, but she had her camera out so I'm pretty sure she was just taking pic-mrph!"

Nao had launched forward and was covering Mikoto's mouth, "Shut up! Do you want to get me killed?"

Natsuki had a smile on her face, but the kind that promised pain and agony for its recipient, "Nao, you and I are going to have a little _talk_ once my arm is fully healed."

Nao shuddered, unable to meet her eyes. _Note to self, call in sick when her braces finally come off._

Mai, thinking that Nao had been sufficiently chastised for her wrong-doings, stepped in, "Don't go too hard on her, Natsuki. It's _because_ we were close that Nao was able to step in. That one guy with a baseball bat almost hit you again when you were down, but Nao ran in and blocked the blow. She guarded you until the police and ambulance arrived ten minutes after I made the call."

"I wanted to help, but Nao told me to protect Mai and Shizuru!" Mikoto added.

"It was no big deal," Nao shrugged.

"You and Mikoto were exhausted by the time the police showed up and carted the guys away to the hospital. You guys did a number on them," Mai said.

Hearing this, Natsuki felt her ire dissipate. She couldn't possibly stay mad at her friends when they defended her from four armed robbers for ten minutes.

Mai glanced at her watch. "Look at the time, we should be heading back." She started to gather their things.

"Natsuki, when are you going to leave the hospital?" Mikoto asked.

"The doctor said that I should be able to leave tomorrow."

Mai glanced back to her, "Should I pick you up tomorrow then?"

Natsuki shook her head. "Nah. I'm pretty sure Shizuru going to insist that I drive home with her."

Mai laughed, "That's true." Natsuki's friends then gathered by the door and gave their farewells, "See you soon, Natsuki."

"Yeah, see ya." Natsuki waved them off until the door closed behind them. She sighed, suddenly feeling tired. She was feeling all right, but she _had_ just awoken from a three-day slumber; two different visits so close to one another drained her energy. "Well, I'm in a hospital anyway. Might as well rest or watch TV or something." She looked over at the small table right next to grab the TV remote but paused. Natsuki grinned despite herself.

On the table sat Duran with a cherry lollipop under his paw.

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Thank you for reading!


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